Nutrition Tips: How Much Sugar Is Too Much?

Hello.  My name is Breann and I have a sweet tooth.  It really is my struggle when it comes to eating healthy.  I love candy!  And cakes!  And ice cream!  Luckily, my meal prepping strategy and discipline in grocery shopping allow me to avoid eating too much of this stuff.  I still fall victim to random "cake days" at work or slip a brownie or two at a corporate reception.  And I also sometimes incorporate a little cheat like an ice cream sandwich or frozen yogurt into my diet.  But generally, I am pretty behaved.

But the question remains, how much sugar SHOULD I be eating in a day?  When I do my research on sugar intake and bodybuilding, I start to see some discouraging information.  Information like, no sugar should be consumed.  Not even fresh fruits.  Now that is a bit extreme... fruit is low calorie and healthy.  But the fact remains that fruit is packed with fructose, a sugar.  Sugar = carbs.  And carbs = fat when you don't burn them.  So sugar consumption is tricky, especially if you have specific bodybuilding or fitness goals.

I recently came across an article on the web about daily intake of sugar and what the appropriate amount should be (link to full article).  According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of sugar you should eat in a day is as follows:

• Men:  150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons)
• Women:   100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons)

To quantify that, a 12 ounce can of Coke contains 39 grams of sugar.  A 20 ounce bottle of Coke contains a whopping 62 grams of sugar.  So you can clearly see how just one soda per day would easily exceed your daily sugar budget!  

Now, for those of you thinking fruit would be much less, think again.  And this is where I was truly surprised.  One medium banana contains 14 grams of sugar.  One medium apple contains 19 grams of sugar. An apple a day may keep the doctor away.  But two pieces of fruit per day is bad per the AHA!  

Before I continue, let me say that I eat at least two servings of fruit per day because I love fruit.  And I'm not willing to give it up.  But, I like to be informed so it's good to know what I'm putting in my body and how it could affect me.  And I do take into consideration my sugar and carb intake each day to keep them around 40% of my total calorie intake.  At the end of the day, the key is that natural sugar (i.e. fruit) is always going to be 10 times better than added sugar (i.e. granulated sugar in cakes, etc.).  So my suggestion is to be conservative on sugar intake, and try to keep it natural.  Added sugars should be consumed in moderation, like during holidays or special occasions.  But normally, I would avoid candy, baked goods, fruit juices, sugary sports drinks, and anything else that is very high in sugar.  

Notice how I said avoid, not replace.  Artificial sweeteners are worse than the real thing, avoid those at all costs!! (read my post on this subject here)

Nutrition Tips: Meal Prep Sunday (2.16.14)

Well hello there!  Thank you all for remaining patient during my slight winter season hiatus.  Many of you know the winter season has been extremely busy for me (auditor busy season), but I am back and ready to get to it.  Before I jump into this blog post, let me provide a quick update on my fitness and nutrition status:

1. I've mentioned this to many of you, but I have not been in the gym like I used to.  No time!
2. I have managed to maintain through football practice and games during the winter season.
3. Nutrition has been a struggle.  I have admittedly indulged a bit, but I've also maintained a generally healthy breakfast and lunch routine.  
4. I have my first 5K coming up in April, so I need to start training for that.
5. Spring football season starts soon, and busy season ends, which should help me get back on track.

I think you now see that I too am human and struggle to stay motivated.  Fitness is a journey.  But I am re-dedicating myself to the challenge and hopefully I'll inspire some of you through the process.  Okay, let's get to it!  

One of the most popular requests I get is to share my meal prepping strategy.  Here is a dose, with more to come.  As always, if you have any questions, leave me a comment or e-mail me: gurlfit@yahoo.com.

I am still a HUGE fan of cooking once for the entire week on Sunday.  It gives me more time during the week for other things, since I'm not in the kitchen every night.  Not to mention, I eat healthier because I can control macros and portions (see my previous article on this).  This Sunday, I decided to make a ton of SALMON!  It's full of good fats (i.e. omegas) and protein, and it's delicious.  I paired it with one of two different kinds of veggies and brown rice, which gives me the 40 : 30 : 30 (carbs : protein : fat) macro ratio I aim for.  Here is the grocery list:

- 2 lbs of fresh salmon (I bought two huge 1 lb. filets / enough for 6 servings)
- 2 bunches of kale
- 1 bag of Bird's Eye Asian Blend Steamfresh vegetables (I ran out of kale)
- 1.5 cups brown rice (makes 3 cups cooked)

- minced garlic

- sea salt
- Mrs. Dash seasoning
- cajun seasoning
- olive oil
- non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Salmon

1. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a fry pan and heat at medium heat
2. Season the front side (non-skin side) of one 1 lb. salmon filet with sea salt and place face down in frying pan
3. Season the back side (skin side) of the salmon with sea salt
4. Cook on the front side for 5 - 7 minutes, then flip and cook on skin side for 7 - 9 minutes (make sure skin is crispy)
5. Remove from pan

* If you have smaller filets of salmon, that is fine.  Adjust cooking time accordingly*

Kale

1. For each bunch of kale, tear the leaves from the stem and tear into smaller pieces with your hands
2. Discard the thicker stems and place all the torn kale into a colander
3. Rinse the kale very well (be careful to get into the folds of the leaves)
4. Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pot and heat on medium heat
5. Place a generous heap of minced garlic in to the sauce pot and saute until the garlic is golden brown (this will only take a minute or so, be careful not to burn it)
6. Add three cups of water to the sauce pot to de-glaze the garlic.  Scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure no garlic is stuck to the bottom of the pot
7. Add sea salt to the water and turn the stove heat up to medium-high
8. Place your kale into the sauce pot and cover the pot with a lid
9. Allow the kale to cook for 15 - 20 minutes until it is tender and turns a deep green color

Asian Blend Veggies

1. Follow the instructions on the package to microwave the veggies.  I didn't have enough kale so I needed a bag of these to complete two salmon dinners.  Poor planning!  But these veggies are actually good.  Well seasoned, and I eat them when I am cooking on the fly.

Rice

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan
2. Once boiling, add brown rice, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until water evaporates
3. Check and make sure rice is tender (should yield ~3 cups brown rice)

Meals

Four of these:  1/2 cup brown rice + 5.5 oz. salmon (1/3 lb) + 1 cup kale
Two of these:  1/2 cup brown rice + 5.5 oz. salmon (1/3 lb) + 1/2 bag of Asian Blend veggies

Macros (approximate): 450 calories: 32.9g carbs, 45.9g protein, 13.5g fat (42% : 30% : 28%)

VERY EASY... This is literally a thrown together meal, but well planned from a nutrition perspective.  And quick to prepare.  One note -- I choose to eat alot of salmon at a time, but feel free to reduce the protein portion if you are looking to reduce calories.  Another variation is to eat sweet potato instead of brown rice, which can reduce calories even further.  Use an app such as Lose It! (my favorite fitness app) to build out the meal and get the calorie count right for you.