Let them have cake!

cakeMmmmmm so goood!

But I can’t eat it, right?

I don’t think a day goes by without us hearing about sugar being poison which causes us to gain weight and other horrible things.  You are lead to believe that you should not touch it at all if you desire to stay healthy and fit. But, nothing can be further from the truth! Please let me explain.

Before I go on defending sugar, let me preface by saying that I don’t advocate overdoing it with sugar particularly when it comes to soda.  Sugary drinks need to limited to a minimum due to a very high sugar content and zero nutritional value.  Please note moderation is key when it comes to sugar, much like it’s true with just about everything else.

We are constantly told to avoid sugar because it’s just plain bad for us. How can that be? You know what has sugar in it? An apple! Are apples bad for you? Of course not, you’ll say. But why is it that an apple, which has quite a bit of sugar is not bad for your? I’ll tell you why.  It’s not just because it has other health benefits but also because you need some sugar.  Sugar is energy and it makes us feel good.  Both are very important parts of our overall health.

What about other things that have sugar, like cake? People who want to stay healthy and fit should avoid it at all costs, right? Wrong! If you never give yourself a little treat, a reward for something you’ve accomplished, then you will never be able to sustain that way of life.  If you want to unwind at the end of the day and you feel run down, a little treat can work wonders for your overall state of mind and body.  You’ll be able to satisfy your craving, feel rewarded, and be able to face the next day with a better outlook.

Consider the alternative.  If you avoid all sugar then you are not eating anything other than some vegetables, meat, eggs, nuts, etc.  All good things, but eating fruit is a very important part of your overall health due to the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as energy.  Without sugar, you will feel run down, unable to work out and experience moodiness.  Low energy can lead to feeling depressed and unable to do anything productive.  Eventually, you will give up on this “diet” and go back to eating all sorts of unhealthy foods just to feel happy again.

A better solution is moderation.  Learn to use sugar sparingly but understand where it comes from.  If it’s fruit, go abundant because of enormous health benefits, but if it’s cake, use it as a treat or reward.  This will provide you with all the sugar you need without giving in to any extremes that do more harm than good.

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