Ashley’s answer: Here’s the only problem with lots of sweets: When the body can’t produce enough insulin to take the sugar into the cells, you put yourself at risk for elevated blood sugar levels (which can lead to diabetes), plus chronic inflammation, increasing your risk factors for numerous diseases. Ok, ok, so an extra cookie isn’t as grim as all that! Here’s the straight truth.
Can you have whatever you want? Yes. However, if you choose to eat things that your body does not recognize and doesn’t know what to do with, it will likely become irritated over time. If you want sugar, skip the chemistry lab projects and go straight to nature.What percentage of your daily caloric intake can come from sweets? 61.5 percent of your total body weight on Wednesdays. Ha ha—kidding! But seriously, numerous clients ask me for percentages or grams to count, only to have them give up after weeks or months. Many even give up counting before they start because it seems too difficult and, well, not fun.
So instead, let’s consider what the body can handle, and then what it would like to function optimally. At every eating occasion in the day, your body wants some carbohydrates (sugars) because they provide quick energy. Could your carbohydrate choice always be a sweet tasting one? Certainly, and if you control for portion size (about 15g) and are reasonably active, then this should work fine for you and your body. But to function optimally, the body would prefer the most nutrients per bite or sip. So consider getting your sweets from food in its form found in nature. What’s a carbohydrate and how much is a serving? Check out the free nutrition plan at www.AshleyKoffRD.com/nutritionplan. Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and
