On Nutrition for training....cutting out highly processed sugars

As mentioned in my earlier post I have decided to follow Stu Mittleman's principles from his book Slow Burn (Burn Fat Faster by Exercising Slower). Stu places a lot of emphasis on consuming many vegetables and cutting out highly processed carbohydrates (such as breads, pastas and baked goods) as well as cutting out highly processed  sugars and coffee.

Highly processed sugars, and brown sugar does also fall into this category,  drain our natural energy and also have a detrimental effect on our health. The problem nowadays is that sugar is in almost everything such as sauces, breads, juice or even salad dressings. We have become so dependent on sugar and most of us rely on it to obtain our daily energy. But that does not mean that it is actually good for us. Sugar has been proven to deplete our bodies of essential vitamins and minerals such as b vitamins (energy metabolism and red blood cell production), magnesium (thinning of blood, energy production, activating enzymes, helps your body to burn fat and sugar) and chromium (necessary for sugar and fat metabolism). The bottom line is if you eat highly processed sugars you will ultimately weaken your  body's immune system and this will foster a breeding ground for viruses, fungi, bacteria and yeast.

Sugar is acid forming in our bodies whereas our body requires an overall slightly alkaline balance. Too much acid can cause poor digestion, constipation, diarrhea and problems with bowel  movements, all of which can lead to weight gain. However it can also affect mental faculties and can affect your ability to for example think clearly or remain focused and can lead to forgetfulness. Your body will easily experience pains and nagging that just never seem to go away.

Another shocking aspect is that too much acid can weaken your bones! Once you throw out the acid/alkaline balance in the body your body will use calcium from the bones in order to neutralise the acids in the blood! And milk might not be the solution to this problem either because your body converts lactose into lactic acid in your body which again results in your body taking calcium from the bones to restore balance in the blood.

This is in a nutshell why I have decided to cut out highly processed sugars. The only sugar that I occasionally now use is Rapadura sugar. Rapadura sugar is dried cane juice and therefore still contains all the minerals and vitamins which makes it a much better choice for your body. (I purchase mine from Eclipse Wholefoods in bulk to make it more affordable at approximately $6.50/kg).

Wherever possible I have also decided to use dried fruits and  fresh fruits to sweeten my food in for example raw food recipes that I prepare.