Some experts consider cereal as modern-day candy, others say yogurt, and yet others claim fruit is like candy. The Canada’s Food Guide says otherwise! In fact, those foods top the list, yet the rate of obesity and chronic disease continue to climb in this nation. Perhaps these foods are contributing to the trend?

Don’t fool yourself to think that cereal and yogurt are healthy. They are for some people, but not for all. These highly processed foods that you find in the supermarket are often high in sugar, and high sugar spikes insulin, the “storage” hormone. Most sedentary individuals will usually store that sugar as fat.

High sugar is not ideal for your health either. Cancer cells feed off sugar, and we all know that chronically elevated sugar can lead to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the list goes on.

The bottom line is that modern-day candy like cereal, yogurt, and high-glycemic fruit are not good choices if you’re overfat and unhealthy, but they’re not so bad if you’re lean, healthy, and tolerant to those foods, especially if you consume them strategically, say around a workout or as a bedtime snack.

You can even deplete your system on a very low-carb diet for a while, and then let the floodgates open with carbs. That’s the premise behind my How To Get Lean In One Week scheme. It works if you do it right.

My Recent “Carb Load” Experience

I’m fairly strict with my carb intake on a regular basis: paleo carbs yes, neo carbs no. On a recent trip to Jamaica, I had no need to deplete beforehand, but because I had “earned” my carbs for months, my body was welcoming a replete, and boy did it ever replete!

I didn’t eat any desserts, but I wasn’t a saint either. Every morning was protein and fat: a three-egg omelet with bacon on the side and a cup of coffee. Lunch was protein (usually jerk chicken or fish) with a nice salad. Dinner consisted of whatever protein was being served that night with vegetables and rice. That was about it for the most part.

So where did I get my sugar?

Alcohol, and lots of it!

During the day, we’d have Pina Coladas with golden rum while catching some rays poolside… red wine with dinner… and afterwards, a vodka and soda (or two!)

Surprisingly, my fat stores did not fill up but my muscles sure did, and the vascularity was insane, although I’m sure if we stayed another week, the result would have been different.

Take-Home Message: If you’re struggling to lose body fat or your health is suffering, stop consuming cereal, yogurt, and high-sugar fruit and alcohol. You can reintroduce them on a periodic basis once you’ve “earned” the right to do so!