How Do We Become Overweight
Too Much Sugar
How does too much sugar cause weight gain? When digested, sugars break down very quickly into glucose in the bloodstream. Now high blood glucose (sugar) is a dangerous thing so it needs to be removed from the bloodstream, and this is achieved by the release of a hormone called insulin. Insulin is released and removes the sugar, but where does it go?
Imagine if you’re going to exercise vigorously – where do you need that energy? That’s right, in your muscles. So glucose is stored in your muscles. But what about when the glucose in our muscles runs out? We also store glucose in our liver, which is available for energy. Now it’s the final destination of the sugar that causes weight gain. When our muscle and liver stores are full, excess sugar is converted into fat and stored in our fat cells. That’s why we need to control our sugar intake and have no more than 30g per day.
Refined Carbohydrates
You may have heard that too many refined carbs can cause weight gain, well this is because when grains such as wheat, rice and corn are refined, the nutritious parts of the grain are discarded. This includes:
the bran – which contains fibre which slows down digestion, B vitamins which are essential for turning the food we eat into energy, and minerals that can help balance blood sugar
the germ – which contains good fats, and vitamins B and E
So what’s left? A little bit of protein called gluten, and the starch (endosperm), which breaks down almost as fast as sugar into glucose in the bloodstream, causing insulin to be released and store the excess glucose in the fat cells as fat.
Deep Fried Foods
There are two reasons why deep fried foods can cause weight gain:
They absorb a lot of fat, and fat contain 9 calories per gram, double that of carbs. So you eat a lot of calories
The Maillard Reaction. Have you ever wondered why deep fried foods are so moreish? Crisps, fries, fried chicken, they all undergo the Maillard reaction which is what happens when amino acids in proteins react with glucose in carbs in very high temperatures – such as boiling them in oil (deep frying). And flavour enhancers such as salt and MSG make them even harder to stop eating them.
Snacking
Snacking can cause weight gain because we often snack not when we’re hungry, but when we’re bored. And if this becomes a habit it can be very hard to break, so try to resist snacking unless you’re really hungry, and reach for a healthy snack such as fruit instead of reaching for foods high in fat and/ or sugar, such as crisps, biscuits, sweets and cakes.
Portion Size
This doesn’t need too much explaining – if you eat larger portions than you need over a period of time this can cause weight gain. So no matter how yummy the food, it’s important that we don’t eat more than we need.
Cake Every Day
Studies have shown that teenagers who do not get enough sleep are Cake has its place – birthdays, weddings, christenings, celebrations. However on the way home from school is not a celebration.
Not Eating Breakfast
How can skipping a meal lead to weight gain? It sounds contradictory. But because our last meal was dinner the night before, when we don’t eat breakfast, by lunchtime (or even before), we’re ravenously hungry, and we’re more likely to snack on something that gives us energy fast ie something sugary, such as a cookie or chocolate snack bar. And we already know how sugar and snacking lead to weight gain.
Inactivity
Inactivity can lead to weight gain because we simply don’t burn as much energy when we’re inactive as when we’re active. And activity keeps our muscles in shape, which helps burn energy efficiently.
So it’s important to establish good habits in order to stay fit and healthy.