At our gym Everyday Athlete healthy eating is important. When coaching our nutrition clients, we find they crave carbohydrates that are loaded with sugars. The most common culprits include white bread, cereals, doughnuts, cookies and indeed anything that has that moreish effect. These are the foods that cause an insulin spike and as a result are the ones people crave.

Consuming sugar has been linked to cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, depression, and of course obesity. According to a 2013 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, The UK has the highest level of obesity in western Europe, ahead of countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Sweden. You can be assured that sugar is a main contributing factor in these findings. Refined sugars tax our liver, which must process it (they turn it into body fat). Too much of that and our livers become fatty, too, impairing its ability to do all its other important jobs, like detoxification. Although we need sugar, we can easily get all we require from fruits, vegetables and dairy. That is enough to satisfy our requirements for glucose as a source of energy.

SO WHAT IS SUGAR?

Sugar or sucrose starts out as a plant. Sugarcane accounts for 80% of sugar produced, most of the rest is made from sugar beets. Sugarcane starts out as a complex structure but once processed it is isolated, crystallised and changed into pure unadulterated sweetness. Basically it’s pure poison for our bodies. The worst part is how difficult it is nowadays to escape sugar. Food manufacturers find a way to put it in everything. Foods that you may think are healthy for you, like salad dressing, soups, sauces, breakfast bars, yogurts and even breakfast smoothies are loaded with added sugar. This is the main reason most experts on health advise us to avoid processed foods.

SO WHAT IS IT ABOUT SUGAR THAT MAKES US CRAVE IT?

A 2010 study on brain dopamine pathways showed that both food and drug cues activate the same brain regions, and that the same areas are activated when people crave either sugar or drugs. Scary, right? Essentially the reason for this is that sugar triggers the release of natural opiates within the brain. These are the same endorphins released when we exercise vigorously or consume hard drugs. The result is an addictive “feel good” effect. It’s this attraction to sugar - sugary drinks, sweetened cereals, and on and on - which makes it the drug of choice for some people.

SO WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS WHITE POWDER OUT OF MY LIFE?

• Stay away from refined sugar and highly processed food as much as possible. Crisps, tortilla chips, crackers, popcorn, white rice, white pasta, refined cereals, sugary cereal bars, white bread, donuts, pastries. Do this and you’re instantly taking a big step towards eliminating the harming effect that comes from sugar consumption.

• Sometimes this is easier said than done. If you are purchasing processed foods, read the food labels before you buy. Remember manufactures may use different terms or different words to name the same thing. For instance, sucrose – aka table sugar – is definitely sugar. But what about: Glucose? High-fructose corn syrup? Honey? Molasses? Rice syrup? Maltodextrin? There are lots of food substances that are technically sugary, but that don’t get labelled as such. So be careful as a manufacturer could put other non-table-sugar substances into a food and label it “low-sugar”.

• Don’t replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. These chemicals confuse our metabolism and cause us to store fat improperly. Use natural concentrated sweeteners such as stevia, coconut flower sugar or even dates.

• Choose foods that steady your blood sugar level throughout the day. This is not as hard as it sounds. It just means (1) eating enough food (2) building your meals around plant-based foods including fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains. The fibre in the plant foods help with blood sugar control (3) Start your day with a healthy breakfast and continue with foods that keep your blood sugar steady.

Do this and you are well on your way to knocking out sugar cravings.

Everyday Athlete gym is located in the heart of Glasgow and provides a unique, fun training environment geared towards helping clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

The dedicated team at Physio Effect provides a full package of services that will ensure you’re supported through injury prevention, assessment, recovery and helping you achieve your ultimate performance goals. We offer a range of services: physiotherapy, sports massage, pilates, yoga and mobility. Unit 18B, 100 Borron Street, Glasgow, G49XG; www.everydayathletegym.com www.physioeffect.co.uk