Refined sugars significantly reduce the strength of the (mouth) muscles. Such sugars therefore have a negative influence on the OMFT exercises. It is therefore important that (parents of) clients are advised not to use sugars before an OMFT treatment.
During our OMFT course, the effects of sugar on the muscles are highlighted with a practical example. For most students it is an eye opener to see how much effect sugar can have on muscles and thus on the strength that can be exercised with these muscles. That muscle contraction is obviously decreasing.
There are two types of sugars:
• Natural (unrefined) slow sugars
These natural sugars are found in healthy products, such as vegetables, fruit, wholemeal pastes and wholemeal bread. Unrefined sugars are slowly absorbed by the body. It takes longer before they are digested, so that there is no fluctuation in the blood sugar levels and you are saturated longer.
• Refined, quick sugars
These sugars are refined in factories. During this process the sugar turns white and equal in structure. The sugar is then processed so that the body no longer sees it as food. It has become a calorie-rich sweetener without any nutritional value. The body can not process the sugars or break them down. Refined sugars are processed in an almost infinite list of foods. Of soft drinks and sweets it is generally known that many refined sugars are processed, but it is also in less obvious products such as ketchup, frankfurters, crisps and canned soup.
It are the refined sugars, that causes problems.
Extracting vital nutrients
Refined sugars contain no fibers, minerals, proteins, fats and enzymes. It is an ’empty’ form of energy. These sugars are quickly digested and enter the blood stream. The pH of our blood changes when this happens, making it acidic. Our body does not like to be sour, so we use minerals such as calcium and magnesium to buffer our blood. During this process, calcium is extracted from our bones and magnesium from our bones and muscles. This is not good, because calcium is a crucial mineral for bone strength and magnesium is an essential mineral for many of our metabolic processes, including muscle contraction.
B vitamins are another group of nutrients that are used to metabolise refined sugar. B vitamins are essential for energy production in the cells and they support proper functioning of the nervous system.
If we eat fast sugars, our bodies consume valuable nutrients. Nutrients that are essential for the body to function at its best.
OMFT and sugars
The OMFT course discusses and shows the effect on OMFT treatment if a client has drunk or sipped soft drinks within 30 minutes before the treatment. The muscle contraction is then significantly worse. For an effective treatment it is therefore important that the (parents of) clients are aware of this and take this into account. Eating an apple or other fruit for practicing can not do any harm; it contains the unrefined sugars that work slowly and naturally.
