By Michele Loesch

Don’t you often wonder which you are supposed to eat less of? Fat or sugar? What kinds of fat and sugars are you supposed to avoid and which ones should you eat?

When I was in my early 20’s (early 90’s) the craze then was “low fat” and “reduced fat foods.” Avoid anything with fat in it and eat processed foods that had the label of “low fat or reduced fat.” That was the answer to weight loss. Right?

Wrong! I fell into the trap and often binged on anything that had “0” grams of fat on the label. Never did I think to consider how many grams of sugar were on the label. Sugar had zero calories, so I didn’t care how many grams per day I was consuming. Zero calories meant zero weight gain.

After a lot of research and understanding just what processed food is made of, I am convinced it is not fat that is making us fat, but the refined sugars, refined flours and High Fructose Corn Syrup that is in just about every kind of processed food imagined. Today, Americans consume 150lbs of refined sugar, of which, 51.7lbs of that is High Fructose Corn Syrup.

You may ask why eating “low fat” and “reduced fat” foods have only made this country fatter. I will tell you it is not from a lack of discipline or motivation to want to eat healthier. The body actually has a hormone called leptin. Leptin is turned off when we eat refined sugars. It is the hormone responsible for telling our bodies when we are full. If most processed foods contain High Fructose Corn Syrup and you are not aware of what it does to your body, you assume you lack discipline because you will continue to crave and want more of the processed food.

How do you turn on the leptin hormone and keep it on? By eating less processed foods and a lot more whole foods. Whole foods such as dark leafy green vegetables, fruits (yes, are ok due to their high fiber content which slows down the absorption of sugar into the body), beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains and lean proteins such as wild caught fish (high in Omega-3 fatty acids) and organic chicken.

Knowledge is power! I will tell you from experience, slowly incorporating more whole foods into your diet will help you eliminate the processed foods from your diet.  You will never even miss another Snack Well Cookie or 100 Calorie pack again!

Michele Loesch is a Certified Health Coach who received her training at Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She also is a Certified Fitness Professional with the ISSA and Master Trainer with New York Strength. Michele leads workshops on nutrition and offers individual health and nutrition coaching to parents and families.

Photo credit © Svetlana Kolpakova | Dreamstime.com

Tags: eating healthy, fat, healthy, healthy lifestyle, high fructose corn syrup, processed food, refined flour, refined sugar, sugar