[Phil153]

Processed sugar is bad, moderate amounts of fat aren't, especially good fats like olive oil found in dressing which are actually good for your health in moderation.

[ QUOTE ]
The reason why sugar has such a bad rap has to do with insulin. In the body, insulin has a very important job. It is secreted in response to elevated blood sugar levels, such as those that occur after a meal, and it pushes that sugar into storage. First to be filled are the tissues of the muscles and the liver where the sugar (which is what your meal has become) is converted to glycogen. Glycogen is the body's fuel of choice for high intensity aerobic activity because it is readily available and because it is quickly converted to ATP for energy.

The problem is that the body only has storage for about 2500 calories worth of glycogen providing your stores were totally empty (which is impossible). Most people only have room to store about 500 calories of glycogen from any given meal. After these storage areas become full, insulin pushes the remaining sugar into the other infinite storage area, FAT STORAGE.

The critical thing is not whether a food has sugar, but how quickly the sugar enters the blood stream. Food is actually categorized by this rate of entry. This is known as the glycemic index. On this scale sucrose (table sugar) is given a 100 rating. Foods like honey, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables and fruits including bananas are even higher. Broccoli is rated 34 on the glycemic index. Things like pastas and breads are somewhere in the middle. Fructose or fruit sugar is rated a 20 on the glycemic index (GI). It is one of the lowest GI sugars known.

To reduce the impact of dietary carbohydrate you should strive to eat foods low on the glycemic scale. You can also reduce the GI of foods or meals by eating a combination of protein carbohydrates and fat each time you put food into your body. Monounsaturated fat (like avocados, almonds and olive oil) are especially good because they do not affect insulin or other hormones and they very effectively lower the GI of other foods by slowing absorption. Adding small amounts of fat to each meal also results in the release of certain hormones from your stomach that will help you feel satisfied and reduce the number of meals you need which will assist you in reaching your ideal weight.

[/ QUOTE ]