However, over the bank holiday I had a fair bit of SUGAR in my diet and thought it was far too much to not write about! I'm sure you are already aware that most of us have too much sugar in our diets, especially now that Scientists call for sugar to be regulated the same way as alcohol & tobacco due to its detrimental effect on the body, what do you think? read more on this: http://fxn.ws/y9HwcV
- What are your thoughts?
- Do you think this should go ahead?
The official recommendation is for no more than 10% of our calorie allowance (around 9-12 teaspoons). I know what your thinking 'it's so easy to go over this amount and does it really harm us' however, there are plenty of natural options available rather than artificial sweeteners that have been used to replace table sugar.
I have been doing some research on the different types of natural sugars and looked at the pros and cons of each. The one that keeps popping up as 'the one to watch', particularly as it could actually benefit our health, is STEVIA- it is produced from the leaves of a south American plant called stevia rebaudiana. It's calorie free and 300 times sweeter than table sugar. I known, WOW!! It also has a very low glycaemic index level, which has little effect on blood sugar levels. (Antony worrall thompson has some good books out on the info of the GI diet and some great recipes check out the books and reviews at: http://www.the-gi-diet.org/bookreview/anthony_worrall_thompsons_gi_diet/ )
Stevia could even provide positive health benefits! - A chinese study on 106 people with hypertension found that it lowered their blood pressure significantly. However, its history has not been without controversy, some researchers point out that although it has been used for many years in countries such as Japan and America, if its popularity takes off it is likely to be consumed in much larger quantities, with unknown consequences.
BUT, REMEMBER: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION IS THE MOTTO!!
Not only is sugar in our food and we add it to foods, there is also a high content of it in our favourite summer drinks! As you are probably aware, too much sugar can lead to obesity, diabetes and cancer, so try some of these drink swaps for better health and a slimmer waistline:
1. Replace ginger ale – 89 calories, 21.3g sugar, with soda water with ginger ice cubes: a slimming 13 calories, 0.3g sugar! A HUGE difference!
2. Cranberry juice – 123 calories, 29g sugar (ok in moderation) swap for cranberry cordial: 32 calories, 7.9g sugars! A much lower content of sugar!
3. Apple juice – 118 calories, 28.3g sugars. Instead try iced apple and cinnamon tea (use one bag per pint glass): 10 calories, 1.25g sugars.
4. Replace pink lemonade – 127 calories, 29.5g sugars, with sparkling water with fresh lemon juice: 4 calories, 0.3 sugars.
5. Orange juice – 120 calories, 25g sugars, swap for fresh carrot juice: 55 calories, 10.3g sugar.
However, the one question that seems to pop up most with clients, ‘is a glass of juice as good as eating fruit?’
The answer?
Not even close. It is better to have an orange fruit rather than orange juice! This is because most prepared fruit juices contain not only natural sugar but lots of added sugar too. So, if you prefer juices then try the swaps above or to make juices less sugar-riffic, pour half a glass then fill the rest with water.
Like coco cola or lucozade? SHOCKING FACTS:
1. 500ml bottle of coca cola: equivalent to 13 ¼ teaspoons of sugar!! The large bottles contain 17 teaspoons of sugar
2. Lucozade: 13 teaspoons
3. Ribena carton: 7.5 teaspoons of sugar
4. Red Bull: 6 teaspoons
5. Capri sun: 5 teaspoons – which is still quite a lot of sugar!
What has no teaspoons of sugar? WATER – want to sweeten water up? Add in some frozen/fresh berries and chopped fruit to your glass to give it a bit of natural flavouring and its extremely refreshing!
So from now on, try slowly reducing the sugar you add to drinks, or cut down on sugary drinks and opt for less sugary options, also gradually cut down the sugar you add to cereals, cooking, baking and desserts and eventually you will be able to do without!
Give it a try - your health will thank you for it.
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