SUGAR-FREE & LOW-CARB: REAL HEALTH

We take advantage of the fact that it is April 7, International Health Day, to tell you why it is so important to lead a healthy lifestyle. According to the Dahlgren and Whitehead model, which determines individual and population health levels defined by economic, cultural and environmental conditions, the symptoms of a healthy life are very diverse.

Among these factors is, without a doubt, diet, which we often overlook due to lack of time or information. In general, it is not common to have a conscious diet since purchases in supermarkets are usually done in a hurry and without reading labels, which contain very valuable information for the consumer.

Sometimes, everyday problems related to digestion or lack of energy can be one of the consequences of eating products with certain components that our body does not tolerate normally.

Next, we are going to discuss in depth six large groups of people who improve their health and achieve their wellness goals by reducing their intake of sugars and carbohydrates, a premise that, in general, benefits us all.

Diabetic people

People who suffer from diabetes have to take great care of their diet, eating foods that have a low glycemic index .

The body of these people does not process blood sugar efficiently. This is what is commonly called "insulin resistance", since this hormone loses the ability to manage glucose and this leads to an accumulation of glucose in the blood, which is very dangerous for the body.

An alternative to deal with this symptomatology is to eat more fats than carbohydrates . Healthy fats, being satiating, help in this case to reduce blood glucose peaks and generate much more stable energy levels. In addition, eating low-carb and low-glycemic foods like those from Impossible Bakers makes the daily lives of people with diabetes easier because it frees them from constantly measuring their glucose levels.

Celiac people: 

Celiacs suffer from intolerance to gluten , the protein contained in most cereals and flours sold on the market. If they repeatedly ingest products that contain it, they can end up wearing down the lining of their small intestine, which in the long run will not allow them to absorb nutrients properly .

There are people who, when consuming gluten, can suffer symptoms similar to those suffered by celiacs, without the need for their intestine to be affected. These symptoms can range from abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or even difficulty concentrating, headaches and skin rashes.

To treat both cases, a diet that avoids any type of food that contains wheat, barley, rye, spelled and triticale (a derivative of wheat and rye) is used. The world of baking in general includes, for the most part, flours that come from this type of cereals, which greatly limits the celiac community. This is why the celiac community must resort to alternative products made without these cereals. In most cases, these alternatives are full of starches or ultra-processed. The best option for celiacs who want to avoid inflammation is to look for products that are made with nut or seed flour , such as almond, coconut or flax flour.

People who want to lose weight

We live in a society in which most of the products we find in supermarkets are full of sugar. The constant consumption of this type of products leads us to depend more and more on the stimulus that sugar generates in our body, leading us, in many cases, to sugar addiction . This will make it inevitable that we will end up gaining weight.

In addition, excessive sugar consumption can cause cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, among others. In addition to reducing life expectancy, it has neurodegenerative effects and can even hinder recovery from Covid-19. This is a public health problem , since more than 2.8 million people in the world die from this pathology.

Switching to a low-carb or ketogenic (keto) diet where healthy fats are the protagonists can be a great ally. The latest studies carried out by Cambridge University show that people who do not restrict fat ended up losing more weight than those who did restrict fat, in addition to having improved their cardiovascular health.

Healthy fats help satiety, since they lengthen digestion and fill us with essential nutrients such as omega 3. In summary, a low-carb diet high in healthy fats can provide us with weight loss and long-lasting results. It will be very important to hydrate ourselves correctly if we decide to follow this type of diet.

People with digestive discomfort or inflammation

Digestive problems are much more common than we think. Between 15 and 20% of Spaniards suffer digestive discomfort after eating . In these cases, we can also benefit from low-carb diets. Some people who suffer from autoimmune diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), reduce carbohydrate sources full of sugars as much as possible, because they feed intestinal candida. This causes very painful inflammation.

Digestive discomfort is very normalized and little is said about this problem. The intestine is the second brain and feeding it correctly, according to our needs, will give us general well-being. The functions of our stomach are not limited to digestion, but it has a direct connection with our central and autonomic nervous system.

If we forget the importance of a good diet, the microbiota that exists in our digestive system can be altered. These bacteria are responsible for our immune system, inflammatory responses or our metabolism, among other things.

We recommend avoiding ultra-processed foods so that our digestive system begins to relax, experiencing benefits in both our mood and our energy . The food industry uses an excess of additives and sweeteners to enhance flavors, such as maltitol, aspartame, acesulfame K... and other additives such as monosodium glutamate that alter our digestive system, among other things. That does not mean that you have to give up pleasure, since there are alternatives without added sugar that allow you to enjoy a healthy sweet without side effects on the digestive system.

Children and child health

In the same way that we take care of ourselves as adults, we must instill these healthy nutritional values ​​in the little ones. Thus, when they are older, they will not have any difficulty adopting habits that benefit their health.

As parents, it is normal that we want our children to not only eat well, but also enjoy eating. Inevitably, we may fall into the temptation of buying an industrial pastry that makes them happy momentarily, but, in the long run, it will be harmful to them. If their palate becomes accustomed to that intense flavor, it will become increasingly difficult for them to stay away from these types of sweets, as they will become more and more addicted to the emotional connection that comes from eating ultra-processed sweets.

So we encourage you, every time you shop, to review what type of snacks you choose for your children. A good tool is to consult the nutritional table and the list of ingredients. Avoid anything that contains any type of added sugar, oxidative oils (palm, sunflower, rapeseed...) or too many “E” numbers. Be careful with products sweetened with dates, honey, banana, raisins... since they are high in fructose and have the same effects on our body as sugar, so sugar addiction may still be present in these cases.

Athletes

Sports nutrition seeks to ensure that the main macronutrient is protein , since it helps maintain and grow muscle, which is why athletes prioritize it. In the hypertrophy process, to gain muscle, it is important to eat enough protein. This way our efforts in the gym will not be in vain. To the same extent, if we dedicate ourselves to doing cardiovascular work, it is most likely that we will run out of the main energy reserves from carbs (if this is our diet) and that we will begin to consume energy from our muscle.

Leaving aside the fitness world, a diet rich in protein will also be beneficial at other non-sporting levels, since it will not allow us to lose muscle mass.

Currently many high protein products use "gluten" as the main ingredient. Gluten is not only inflammatory, but it is also a low-absorption protein. You have to look for high-quality proteins, such as whey isolate, casein or egg white, ingredients that we use in Impossible Bakers preparations.

Becoming aware of our diet is, without a doubt, the first step to taking care of and improving our health. Do you join the challenge?