Sugar-Free Human

Week 3 is upon me and I have not felt better in quite some time. My weight hasnt changed much but I was to expect this as the amought of calories im consumin is intended to maitain my current weight. Here is what I've learned so far: Food, and more specifically sugar, is not meant to be a reward and using it as such can potentially have negative cosequences for not only your body such as gaining weight, but also your psyche. Due to its availlability and effects on the brain (release of dopamine) addiction is very likely and the development of eating dissorders is as well. Here is some advice I can give you to maybe alter your eating habbits. First, please understand that refined sugar and the things that its being put in are designed by scientists in a lab to make it as addictive as possible. The food is made according to out evolutionary preference and companies are well aware that you wont be able to have a single piece of chocolate or a single crisp. Once you realise this ma...

Keep in mind that what most (if not all) companies value the most is the financial bottom line and they are entierly willing to lie or misrepresent information in such a way that can put you're health on the line. Sugar free and diet drinks are a perfect example of just that. Obviously, you would think that these drinks are at the very least a healthier alternative to the regular sugar-packed drink. That is far from true. These drinks are specifically marketed towards people who want to escape their sugar addiction and/or lose weight. They are very proud to show you that they have absolutely no sugar or calories in them. Now here are some facts you should keep in mind.  This Study  explains how the consumption of diet and sugar-free altermatives has no correlation with weight-loss whatsoever. Moreover,  this study  pesents the argument that in America the rise of obeisty is actually strongly correlated with the increased consumption of these foods and bevar...

Right, this is  a very complicated topic and I highly suggest you read/watch the articles/videos I will post below as I have a limited word count and wount go into extensive detail. So all I want you to know is that there are three main macronutrients you're body uses in order to funciton normally and keep you healthy are protein, carbohidrates and fats (see link one for extensive explanation). The one I want to focus on is fats. Fats are the macronutirent responsible for the regulation of certain hormones as well as the assitant in helping you digest the food you eat. They are the macronutrient highest in calories - 9kcal comapred to protein and carbs which have 4. It also adds flavour to a lot of foods, hence why oils are so widely used in cooking. Now here is where it gets complciated, some fats are good and some are bad. The good kind of fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which have been shown  to lower cholesterol and decrease chacnes of heart...

One week down. Two kilograms down. The other thing that's down as well are my cravings which seemed to gradually decline with the days. I stopped having migraines after the fourth day and now I feel way more energised than I did last week. I am willing to acknowledge that the reason behind this might not be entirely based on me quitting sugar but also the replacement of those food with more foods higher in nutritional value, such as vegetables, fruits and beans as well as the fact that my physical activity has gone up a notch. Another thing that I'm stating to notice is that my taste buds are becoming more sensitive and food just tastes better, which is something I've heard people who recently stop smoking experience. Ever since I started this I have also noticed that sugar is in a lot of foods that you would not expect, such as yogurts and other foods marketed as 'low fat'. My next post will expand upon this. Starting this week I will also be incorporating inte...

Wrong.  Refined sugar that’s found in sweets is referred to as glucose and the sugar found in fruits is called fructose. The sugar found in fruits comes along with fiber, water and a ton of vitamins and minerals naturally occurring in the fruit, which help to slow down the absorption, so it doesn’t get fast access to the liver like it does when it’s refined. Because sugar was so scarce when were monkeys, when it gets quick access to the liver, it quickly gets stored as fat (see study 1 ). But there is more, refined sugar is not only a bad Idea when you’re trying to lose weight. The second study   I’ve posed below, explains how excessive consumption of sugar has been linked to adverse health conditions, metabolic abnormalities, as well as shortfalls of essential nutrients. And if you happen to be thinking to yourself right now ‘yeah well, excessive consumption of everything is bad’, just keep in mind that the World Health Organisation recommends that the most re...

If you have ever tried losing weight, chances are you considered calories you're biggest enemy. Here is the science based on my terrible understanding of biology and human physiology - we burn calories constantly, regardless if you're on a treadmill or just sitting on a chair. If you want to lose weight you have to burn off more calories than you're consuming. So lets say you burn off 2000 calories in a day. If you consume 2000 you're weight will stay the same, consume 1800 and you will lose weight and vice verca. Now if you want to lose fat , its way more complicated. I'm too stupid to explain everything but Ill touch upon some things. Insulin is a hormone you're body produces which regulates fat storage along with other stuff. When you consume a lot of processed sugar, you get a massive insulin spike, which indicates to you're body that food is going to be scarce in the the future and it stores the sugar as fat, which in essence is stored energy. And...

These first few days have been quite fascinating. I had no issues on Monday but Tuesday and Wednesday were tough. I was feeling lightheaded and had a hard time concentrating. Hopefully, this goes away soon. Throughout this journey I will be eating a low fat, wholegrain, vegan diet. The reason why I chose this diet is because there is an overwhelming evidence that this kind of diet is very beneficial. For example first study I've cited below showed cardio vascular disease reversed, when subject were put on a low fat, wholegrain vegan diet. Apart from having the lowest risk of developing heart disease, vegans have also been shown to have the lowest Body Mass Index as well as the lowest risk of developing type 2 diabetes (see studies 2 and 3).  I have also came across studies which indicate a positive relationship between the consumption of meat and weight gain (see study 4), although I would suggest that you should not focus on weight as there are a number of factors that ...

I suppose we've all heard someone, most likely a parent or another family member, saying that we should stay away from drugs. However how do we define 'drugs'? Lets take cocaine for example. Cocaine is a white powdery substance, extracted from the plant Coca. After administering the drug, a brain hormone called dopamine is released in the brain area known as the reward system, which we interpret as pleasure, leading us to perform that behavior again, with the hopes of getting that dopamine rush again. You know what else is a white powdery substance and also has an effect on the release of dopamine in the brain? Sugar! And not only that, both substance have another thing in common - they are very addictive and have very negative effects on health and well-being, which I would come back to in the coming weeks. I've always considered myself a disciplined person. I have been exercising consistently for 5 years and have kept my diet, what I considered, 'healthy'....