Is eating FRUIT the same as eating CAKE?

Could eating fruit be keeping you from reaching you're fat loss goals?

If you're trying to lose a lot of fat or simply looking to lose those last few pounds then keep reading.

Let's start from the beginning:

We all know our body needs food to provide us with energy, but how does it do this? It uses mainly carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are sugars that your body stores as glycogen for to use as energy.

There are two types of carbohydrates: Simple and Complex. All carbohydrates are made of sugar. Complex carbohydrates are made up of hundreds of sugars molecules, these are your startches and fibrous foods that provide you with sustained energy as they take longer to digest.

We're going to look more closely at simple carbohydrates. These consist of one to two sugars thus their name; simple. Simple sugars include refined sugars such as cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks as well as natural sources found in fruits. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly and give you energy quickly.

So is eating fruit the same as eating cake? Definitely not.

Fruit is full of vitamins and fibre that is important for a healthy balanced diet however, what is important is when you choose to eat fruit. The sugar in fruit is a simple sugar called fructose. Remember simple sugars are used immediately by your body for energy so if your glycogen levels are low then your body will use them, if not then your body will store them as fat.

Note: If you follow a low GI diet and are confused as many fruits are low GI it's because the liver releases fructose as fat. Fat does not raise insulin levels and therefore doesn't increase your sugar levels rapidly.

So should you eat fruit or not?

YES but it's all about timing. The best time to eat fruit is first thing in the morning for breakfast or right after a work out. The reason being at these times your glycogen levels are low. Eating fruit at this time will help in your recovery. During the day your liver gylcogen levels are more likely to be full and therefore eating simple carbs could lead to the storage of fat.

So go ahead, enjoy your fruit at the right times!

Try: apples, grapefruit, lemon, cataloupe, organces, blueblerries, cherries, blackberries or strawberries.

Enjoy!

There's still time to get in shape for summer!

Summer is very near and as the weather becomes warmer and you try to find ways to cool yourself down with nice treats such as a cold beer, a chilled glass of wine or even a deliciousous ice cream, think twice! As the old saying goes 'a moment on your lips, a lifetime on your hips!'

Ice cream is very high in fat and sugar, as well depending on the kind of ice cream you’re eating it may also contain colourants and preservatives. Alcohol as well is high in sugar and contains 7 calories/ gram. It may not sound like much however if you consider that fat contains 9 calories/ gram, you can almost think of drinking as the same as drinking fat…yikes!

Before you add on those extra empty calories, remember that you no longer have that nice winter coat to cover up with, summer means wearing slightly more revealing clothing.

What to do? Here's a solution!

As a treat in place of ice cream, make yourself a fruity smoothy. Mix organic bio live yoghurt, frozen mixed berries, and a bit of agave nectar. The yoghurt makes it creamy, the frozen berries makes it thick and cool and the agave nectar is a natural way of sweetening it. Agave nectar can be found in most health food shops and some super markets. It's a natural sweetner for the agave plant in mexico and is low GI, meaning it won't give you a sugar spike.

Rather than the ice cold beer and wine, try having sparking water with lemon and/ or fresh mint to taste, also add a bit of agave nectar. This is an excellent refreshing drink.

Make the smart choices now and you're still in plenty of time to shed those few pounds before summer is truly here!

As well to give yourself an extra boost to shedding those pounds, start moving your body as well as thinking about what to eat. Try resistance training to build muscle and help burn fat. Your body burns more calories at rest to maintain muscle than fat.

What should you do? As the weather becomes warmer, it’s a great idea to work outdoors.

Try training with a friend in the park. There’s no need to carry equipment around with you, you’re body weight is the best portable weight!

Try this circuit:

1) 5 Press ups
2) 5 forward lunges
3) 5 reverse lunges
4) 5 dips off a bench
5) 5 squats

Do this circuit 5 times with a 2 minute rest in between each set. If you’re still feeling quite energetic then have a few short races with your friend. Choose a tree or something approximately 100m’s away. Have a rest and do it again!


Enjoy the nice weather, look great and feel great all at the same time!

Remember to sign up to my FREE NEWLETTER http://www.rocofit.com/newsletter