Wow, chillen, you know a lot on the subject. I personally just don't use that much sugar at all. It is very rare for me to ever add plain white sugar to anything. I will put about a half a teaspoon full of it in my hot chocolate when I make it. I'm working on weaning myself down to none and just using pure cocoa. It's the only way I can stand to drink milk. Plus the dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you. I really don't like the idea of artificial sweeteners or real sugar at all. A person should be able to choose what works best for their lifestyle. If your focus is on weight control and you're a sweet tooth, then maybe an artificial sweetener is a good option. I just don't like sweet stuff. I'd take salty over sweet any day. (But all that sodium could be a problem for me some day).
Sport Honey
- Thread starter raslaffan
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Sport Fitness
In terms of your particular situation, some further context might be relevant.
How much ( table ) sugar do you currently consume a day anyway ?
And, you said you " tried artificial sweeteners " - when do you use ( table ) sugar throughout the course of the day - i.e on cereal, on fruit, in shakes, in coffee / tea ?
I agree.
I think GI it is really more relevant - and I mean in a significant way - for issues of post workout nutrition and for diabetics. So within that context, I'd think the need to avoid high GI foods is a non-issue for most gym rats relatively speaking ........gym rats who tend to focus on their diet more than most in the first place.
High GI foods might bump insulin more and higher insulin might enhance fat storage, but that's usually in the context of when glucose is in excess. So, from an excess point of view, the issue is the high number of ( excess ) calories, not so much high GI scores IMO. After all, a baked potato has a high GI score of 85 or so and white rice has a high GI score in the 70's...and i don't think anyone would advocate staying away from these sorts of foods and other high GI foods like carrots, cereals, bananas, bagels, raisins, breads etc. as part of healthy diet ( particularly if you're Chinese in the case of white rice....and I don't think China has an obesity / fat problem ) simply based on a GI score.
Anything - i.e sugar and honey - is fine...... in moderation. And it's also fine in the context of GI so long as you combine high GI foods with good sources of protein, fat, or other low GI carbs - i.e see Chinese diets and white rice. The goal is to focus more on the net overall GI rating of a meal itself than one particular food item IMO.
I agree with that, but the thing is when bulking, you have excess calories, and many gym rats do that a lot. I also think that when cutting, low GI delays the time until you start seeing glucagon, which might make you catabolic, also an important issue imo.
And personally, I never used to care anything about GI, but at the same calorie intake, my daily energy levels are more stable after I switched to low GI. How it influenced my fat buildup I can't say, since I changed a few other variables too.
Good points.
Actually, I think we're on the same page on this GI issue.
I for one, tend to end up having a low GI diet more as consequence of consuming foods I think are inherently healthy - i.e unprocessed, whole-grain, low fat, high fiber etc. etc. than by design ( i.e aiming for low GI foods because they are low GI ). As I said before, the key is combining foods where the focus is on a net overall low GI meal IMO ...even if it may include some very high GI foods.
It just seems sometime that discussions of high GI from others on this forum get a bit obsessive at times whether it is about avoiding high GI foods at all costs ( outside of replentishment strategies ) or championing the fact that you HAVE to have dextrose or malodextrin ( as part of post workout replentishment strategies ) because they have high GI scores - as though a PWO shake with GI carbs of 93++++ will somehow build more muscle mass than a PWO shake with GI carbs of 80.
Sometimes when the topic of high GI scores comes up, it seems some people get too caught up in the detail of splitting hairs over GI scores and can't see the forest for the trees.
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Actually, I won't eat potatoes, white rice, or bananas for that reason, so there's at least one of us....and I don't think I'm alone
I eat only whole grain breads and cereals which are lower GI. Nothing made from white flour. I've notice a big difference in how I feel after meals because of this. I never feel tired after eating like I used to when I ate that stuff.
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I agree, i try to avoid hi GI foods and i feel more energetic throughout the day. Though I do eat bananas and water melons as a post-workout insulin spike
and btw carrots have a gi of 16
I'm even reluctant to eat fast carbs after a workout. I agree it's optimal for muscle growth, but my top priority is health and for my own reasons I sacrifice that. I'm not diabetic, but type 2 runs in my family. Plus, I think I have pretty good muscle mass without it
Luckily, in my case, I can eat rice, bananas and potatoes and feel just fine afterwards...i.e love to have rice and fish, or a baked potato and some lean meat, bananas in smoothies etc. etc. They're all a regular part of my diet.
But if those foods bother you, then certainly, you have to eat only what works for you and makes you feel good.
So, what does your PWO nutrition consist of - in terms of carbs / protein ?
I'm pretty old school, I just eat a meal with some protein and carbs ...not the same thing every time. For a while I just drank milk
P.S.
I eat the hell out of rice, but it's brown rice. I also eat sweet potatoes
I go for lower GI in grains and so forth, but I don't avoid any kinds of fruit based on the GI
i consume about 6 teaspoon of sugar a day.Is that bad enough?
I used it in coffee. I put 2 teaspoon of it /mug..
I drink coffee in the am, after lunch and before going to GYM..
Good man. I'm with you.
I think people tend to over-complicate this whole PWO issue by obsessing to much on the perceived necessity of focusing on ' shakes ' with whey protein, dextrose etc. etc. Shakes are one option - but not the only option
Some well chosen food sources for PWO nutrition are just as good IMO.
Like I said earlier, under normal circumstances, I don't view foods that may be considered fast carbs as being bad for you from a health point of view IMO - again, fast carbs like honey, rice, potato, carrots, cereals, bananas, bagels, raisins, breads etc. etc. come to mind In fact, I think they should be considered part of an overall healthy diet. Again, to me at least, the key is combining foods, to have moderate to lower GI score meals - which may include some fast carbs as part of the meal.
Obviously GI has some added relevance if you are diabetic or timing fuel for exercise though.
We don't always agree, but I respect your opinions as they are well thought out.
I guess because of my family history and just being in the mindset of a slow carb diet, I eat mostly slow carbs even with my pwo meal (I might have whole grain bread or quick oats as my carb). How much difference do you think this really makes to my overall musculature? If I switched to a high GI carb do you think I'd really notice a pronounced difference?
My perception is there may be a slight difference, but not enough for me personally to put the extra strain on my pancreas...not to mention the effects on triglycerides etc. I guess although I want to be athletic and muscular I also weigh how choices affect my overall health first....plus I don't want to be a "hulk" I kind of like my current size actually, maybe just get slightly leaner and maintain muscle
1 teaspoon is about 15 calories -so, 90 calories a day.......over 600 calories a week just from sugar.
Not sure, but i think honey's calories are in the same ballpark.
Since ' cutting ' is about losing calories....have you given any thought to artificial sweeteners ?
I don't use them, but what are they...only about 1 or 2 calories per packet ?