The grocery stores are lined with sugar free calorie reduced alternatives. This definitely sounds great as the fewer calories you consume the thinner you will be, right? Obviously by looking at everyone whose cupboards are filled with these foods you can see that something is not quite right. You have been told your whole life that sugar is bad for you. What should you do?

There are some options. But let’s first start off by teaching you the side effects of both sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Sugar - Refined Sugars, High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Can depress the immune system
• Impede cellular function
• Stimulate the overgrowth of candida (yeast)
• Stimulate excess insulin production that results in storage of sugars in fat cells fluctuating blood sugar levels
• Increases incidences of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis
• Interferes with the body’s absorption of minerals such as calcium and magnesium
• Raises cholesterol levels
• Causes Allergies, Kidney damage and high blood pressure

Artificial Sweeteners

• Saccharine (Sweet ’N Low) and Aspartame have been found to be carcinogens.
• Aspartame causes headaches, allergic reactions, symptoms that mimic autoimmune diseases, and can cause damage to the nervous and immune systems.
• Sucralose has only been tested on animals, but the studies have shown that it can result shrink your thymus gland up to 40%, enlarge your liver and kidneys, reduce your grown rate and if pregnant decrease fetal body weight. Short term affects on humans found anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, nerve, joint and chest pain, allergic reactions and diarrhea.
• Xylitol is one of the safest. It is actually released naturally by the body and is safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics. The only noted side affect is diarrhea.
• Sorbitol and Mannitol contain natural ingredients consisting of many fruits that tend to cause diarrhea (prunes, apples, pears, peaches) There is a petition with the FDA to place labels on all foods containing these warning that they may cause diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain as well as not suitable for consumption by children.
• Stevia is advertised in health magazines and found in health food stores. It has no calories and contains vitamins and minerals, lowers blood pressure, discourages bacterial growth and improves digestion. It has a bitter taste of which often turns people off. The FDA has never approved stevia because animal studies show it to create fertility problems such as reduced sperm production, increased testicle growth and small babies.

As you can see one is not better than the other. If you cut out refined sugars and sweeteners you will definitely get enough sugar from fruits and vegetables alone. Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar that your body can easily digest and use for many functions.

We are aware that sugar contains a lot of calories so it is easy to understand how people who consume lots of sugar gain weight. But why do people who use sweeteners of which have very few to no calories continue to gain weight? Studies have shown that people who eat more artificial sweeteners ate more food and gained more weight than people who didn’t. When consuming foods that do not have enough calories your brain does not register that you have eaten enough and then you crave more food. Having an artificially sweetened beverage with your meal may actually stimulate you to consume more food. Studies are finding that the sweetener may actually turn on brain areas that create an appetite, but not satiate you. Therefore, triggering you to eat a larger portion size. One small study published in 2007 found that this is only the case in people who don’t consume artificially sweetened products on a regular basis. People who consumed these products on a regular basis adjusted to the sweeteners over time and eventually stopped craving more calories. But initially they would gain weight due to the extra calorie consumption.

It is tough to think of a life without any sweets. There are alternatives to sugars and artificial sweeteners such as:

• Agave Nectar
• Honey
• Organic Maple Sugar
• Organic Raw Sugar

Remember, everything in moderation.

Band Leg Extensions

This is a great exercise and very important. The last 20 degrees of leg extension works one of the muscles in your quad. This muscle helps to stabilize the knee. It is great for people with piriformis syndrome and anyone else who would like to strengthen their knee and prevent injuries.

1. Attach the band to a banister or pole that is sturdy and lower to the ground. Or use a door attachment. Place your foot through the handle of the band.
2. Keeping your knees together slowly straighten and bend your knee. Keep your abs tight for balance. Hold onto a chair or something if you need for balance.

Can You Push Yourself Too Much?

Do you ever wonder if you are pushing yourself enough in your work outs? How much is truly enough? The answer is not the same for every person. Factors that need to be taken into consideration are your current physical fitness level, goals and injuries you may have or have had.

Your ligaments and joints recover and strengthen at a slower rate than your muscles. If you wait only until the muscle soreness decreases every work out you could be setting yourself up for an injury. Recovery time is just as important as the intensity, duration and the quality of your work outs in preventing injuries and over training symptoms.

Your body needs time to adjust and adapt to your work out intensity and duration as well as have enough time to recuperate. The rule of thumb is to increase one thing only- durations, intensity or weight. Never more than 10% a week. So if you were lifting weights you would either increase the weight or number of reps and sets, but not both. If you were a runner you would either increase your speed or distance, but not both. All athletes start training months or years away from a competition and gradually increase their intensity over time so that their body can adjust to the demands put on it.

Look out for signs of overtraining.

• Decreased performance
• Loss of coordination
• Prolonged recovery
• Elevated morning heart rate
• Elevated resting blood pressure
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle soreness/tenderness
• Gastrointestinal disturbances
• Decreased ability to ward off infection
• Increased incidence of musculoskeletal injuries
• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Irritability
• Depression
• Reduced desire to train
• Difficulty concentrating
• Emotional sensitivity
• Reduced self esteem

Overtraining can result in over training injuries which can set you back in achieving results. Remember, everything in moderation. If you do have questions seek the help of a professional to learn how to create a balanced program for you.

Funky Black Bean Salad with Corn

Dressing
1tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp sunflower or extra virgin olive oil

2 cups black beans cooked or can
2 cups cooked corn
1 firm avocado
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced- optional
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh coriander, minced

1. In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients - Mustard, garlic, vinegar and oil until emulsified.
2. Peel, pit and dice the avocado, working quickly to avoid browning.
3. In a large bowl toss together all the salad ingredients. Add dressing and combine thoroughly. Let it sit for half an hour to blend flavours.

Serves 4 - 6

168 Cal, 6.7g Protein, 14.6g Carbs, 1.6g Fat, 17mg Sodium