Is sugar the cause of all of our problems?
Is sugar the cause of all of our problems?
Are we consuming way too much sugar and not even realising it? Are we fooled by the marketing of unhealthy products that are branded in such a way that they appear good for us? Take juicy water for example. You think by the name of the product that it is just flavoured water, and can’t be that bad for you? but in fact, Juicy water drinks contain up to 24.2g of sugar, that’s approximately 6 teaspoons. Would you put 6 teaspoons of sugar in your tea? Hopefully not.
The recommended amount of sugar per person (over the age of 11) per day is no more than 30g (5% of the total energy we get from food). 4g of sugar is equivalent to 1 teaspoon, so that means you are recommended to have no more than 7.5 teaspoons of sugar a day. That seems like quite a lot don’t you think? Well when you look at some common foods and drinks and how much sugar they contain you will be very surprised. The average Briton consumes 238tsp of sugar each week, often without even realising.
Chocolate spread – 57.1g /100g
Plain chocolate – 62.6g / 100g
Coke – 10.6g / 100ml (nine teaspoons of sugar per 330ml can)
Squash – 24.6g / 100ml
Sweetened fruit juice – 9.8g / 100ml
Chocolate biscuits – 45.8g / 100g
Frosted corn flakes – 37g / 100g
Tomato ketchup – 27.5g / 100g
Salad cream – 16.7g / 100g
Energy drinks – up to 78g / 500ml
Experts are now saying that sugar is truly addictive. In a study with rats carried out by French scientists in Bordeaux, rats chose sugar over cocaine (even when they were addicted to cocaine).
So what are the effects? Some scientists believe that fructose tricks the brain into thinking that we aren’t full and therefore causes you to overeat. The mitochondria in our cells also struggle to convert fructose into energy and so instead the excess gets turned into fat. This causes insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes and heart disease and of course, obesity.
So are you addicted?
Can you walk past the confectionary aisle without purchasing a treat?
Do you follow a sugar intake routine ie do you always have a desert or popcorn in front of the TV?
Do you feel like you need a sugar high to keep going with everyday activities?
If you quit sugar for 24hrs would you suffer from mood swings and headaches?
If you answered yes to any of the above then I am sorry to say that you are an addict!
So how do you start on your journey to eliminating refined sugar?
Avoid deserts as they generally are high in sugar
Have a close look at the sugar content on food labels and also check out the ingredients, looking out for the alternative names listed below
Avoid all sugary drinks including fruit juice, squash, fizzy drinks like coke and lemonade and energy drinks
Cook more because when you cook from scratch, you know exactly what is going in to your food.
Other names to look out for when looking at ingredients are:
Glucose
Dextrose
Honey
Maple syrup
Corn sugar
Levulose
Sucrose
Molasses
Maltose
High-fructose glucose syrup
Fructose
Agave
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
Sources:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Top-sources-of-added-sugar-in-our-diet.aspx
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/149782/1/9789241549028_eng.pdf?ua=1
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eliminate-refined-sugars-8634.html