Natural sugars verses added sugar. What’s the difference on your body?
Calories are almost the same but the apple is giant at 7 oz and in this case has twice the carbs and sugar of the Oreo cookie.
If you are tracking macros, which should you choose?
If you have a bad sugar craving for processed sugary items, eat the apple. Plan to do some HIIT or strength training to use the carbs for energy. Your body will need to burn more calories just to break the apple down due to the higher fiber than the cookie.
Natural sugar from fruit, dairy, and vegetables contain essential nutrients added sugar does not. Both spike your blood sugar levels, but natural sugar has the added benefit of keeping glucose levels STABLE for a longer period of time without a sugar crash than added (processed) sugar items such as cookies, candy, sugar drinks, cereals. This makes natural sugar beneficial to consume prior to a long strength training session when you need energy for an EXTENDED amount of time.
Note that processed (added) sugar is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream, also spiking insulin levels but contains empty calories, no nutrients, and causes an equally fast plummet of blood sugar once absorbed, leading to cravings for more. It’s kind of a trap because who really stops at one cookie? You’ll want another one soon and nurture a craving. This leads to overindulging and storing the excess sugar in your liver which your body converts to fatty acids aka fat.
The apple always wins because it’s volume filling in your stomach, nutrient dense unlike the cookie, keeps your glucose level elevated longer thus no cravings for another immediately after like the cookie. It’s also full of fiber which helps keep you feeling full longer than the cookie which does not. The apple cleans out your digestive and intestinal tract and helps you drop weight over time. You are less likely to want the cookie the healthier your diet becomes anyway.
Don’t like apples? Berries will do the same trick.
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