I absolutely love sugary foods. However, the types of sugary foods that I like are things such as fruits, yogurt, Dunkin Donuts, etc. I don t really care for rich, sugary foods like fudge or a lot of chocolate, etc. That being said, I also try to limit my intake of sugary foods because I know that overdoing it in the sugar department wouldn t be good for me. With the increased number of instances of people who have diabetes, high cholesterol and other weight problems, sugar rich foods certainly do not help matters.
What most people fail to realize or simply choose to ignore about foods that contain a lot of sugar is that sugar tends to get absorbed by the body and turned right into fat. The same thing is true of carbohydrates when they are consumed in massive quantities. For instance, did you know that in just one cup of pasta, there are almost 200 calories? Think about that the next time you make yourself a big plate of pasta. This doesn t even account for the fact that most people aren t simply eating a plate of plain pasta. Rather, there are other additives such as pasta sauce, pasta sauce with meat, parmesan cheese (or other cheese), and beverages, etc. Before all is said and done, you ve consumed almost 700 calories in just one sitting! In order to burn that off, you would then have to run for an hour at a sub 8 minute mile pace!
Eating healthy doesn t have to be torturous though. You can still eat all of the foods that you love. Rather, eating healthy is about portion control and limiting your intake of certain foods throughout the day. For instance, my boyfriend loves to eat late at night. He claims that he actually cannot get to bed unless he has had something to eat. On the other hand, I prefer NOT to eat late at night. In the past when I was growing up and even when I was in college, I wouldn t be caught dead eating past 7:30 at night. However, a few times recently, I have joined my boyfriend in his late night eating rants, and let me be the first one to tell you that it doesn t work out well for me because I cannot go to bed on a full stomach. What ends up happening is I end up not being able to get to bed when I want to, and then my entire next day is thrown off.
To eat healthy means to maintain a healthy “lifestyle” which consists of getting enough sleep and making sure that you exercise. Instead of exercising simply to be able to fit into your jeans, you should also be exercising for your health. If heart disease runs in your family, wouldn t you want to take the proper precautions? If your stomach is hanging over your jeans, wouldn t you want to do something about it? We all have choices when it comes to our diet, so why not make yours a smart one?