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reediculouslyfit · 4 years

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No Need to Add Sugar- Life is Sweet Already!

By Lisa Reed, MS, CSCS, USAW

We all know that eating too much sugar has been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, not to mention tooth decay.

In a study published in Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine in January 2014, researchers found that the odds of dying from heart disease rose in tandem with the percentage of sugar in one’s diet, regardless of a person’s age, sex, physical activity level, and weight.

Sugar 101: There are two types of sugars: 1) Naturally occurring sugars are found naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). 2) Added sugars include any sugars or caloric sweeteners that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation. The major sources of added sugars are regular soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, pies, and fruit drinks (fruit juices and fruit punch); dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk); and other grains.

Example names for Added sugars can include: • white sugar • brown sugar • high fructose corn syrup • crystallized fructose • fruit juice concentrates • agave and maple syrup • molasses • honey • sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)

Furthermore, some products include terms related to sugars. Here are some common terms and their meanings: • Sugar-Free – less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving • Reduced Sugar or Less Sugar – at least 25 percent less sugars per serving compared to a standard serving size of the traditional variety • No Added Sugars or Without Added Sugars – no sugars or sugar-containing ingredient such as juice or dry fruit is added during processing • Low Sugar – not defined or allowed as a claim on food labels

* Although you can’t isolate the calories per serving from added sugars with the information on a nutrition label, it may be helpful to calculate the calories per serving from total sugars (added sugars and naturally occurring sugars). To do this, multiply the grams of sugar by 4 (there are 4 calories per 1 gram of sugar). For example, a product containing 15 g of sugar has 60 calories from sugar per serving. Keep in mind that if the product has no fruit or milk products in the ingredients, all of the sugars in the food are from added sugars. If the product contains fruit or milk products, the total sugar per serving listed on the label will include added and naturally occurring sugars.

Although sugars are not harmful in small amounts to the body, our bodies don’t need sugars to function properly. Added sugars contribute additional calories and zero nutrients to food.

Over the past 30 years, Americans have steadily consumed more and more added sugars in their diets, which has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Products with a ton of added sugar in them are foods that are processed, which means that there’s a decent chance other important nutrient could have been stripped out in the process of making the food sweeter and more desirable for consumers.

Foods consisting of only naturally occurring sugars, on the other hand, are typically inherently full of other good stuff, like fiber (in fruit), protein (in dairy products), and vitamins and minerals (in both fruit and dairy products). Reducing the amount of added sugars we eat cuts calories and can help you improve your heart health and control your weight.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance. For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories or about 6 teaspoons per day and for men no more than 150 calories per day for men or 9 teaspoons per day.

So here are Lisa’s 4 Simple Fixes For a Sweet Tooth! 1) Rely on protein, fat, and veggies! Of course add natural fruit, but like anything, do so in the right portion sizes! When you include protein, healthy fats, and fiber in your meal, together they will slow down the release of blood sugar in your body and keep you full for longer.

• Choose healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and heart healthy oil to help keep you full for longer, thus helping to decrease your desire for sugar. But be sure to consume the right portions. • Eat plenty of veggies and select whole, fresh fruit over juice! • Read your food labels. When you want canned fruit, look for one that has been preserved in juice rather than syrup, which has a slightly lower sugar content! • Never eat fruit by itself. Always have with a protein and fat! For your cereals, oatmeal, or yogurt- mix ¼ cup of your “sweetened yogurt” with ¼ cup of no sugar added. The goal would be to select the no sugar added and select a natural sweetness alternative like ½ cup of fresh fruit. Examples: • At breakfast, add almonds and 1/2 cup of berries to your usual oatmeal for anti-oxidant benefits and more fiber! • Have an egg white omelet with your morning avocado toast. • Instead of adding sugar to cereal or oatmeal, add fresh fruit (try half a banana or ½ cup blueberries or strawberries). Portion sizes make a difference!

2) Never go fake! When you are reducing your sugar intake, you may be tempted to switch to artificial sugars for your sweet fix. Resist! Diet sodas, sugar-free candy, and packets of fake sugar in your coffee is not the answer.

Data from several population-based studies have found that consumption of artificial sweeteners, is linked to: • development of weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and even Type 2 Diabetes. Researchers have been able to show the change in gut flora leads to an increased absorption of glucose from the diet.(development of insulin resistance). Solution: Limit artificial sweeteners. Period.

Many consider switching to sparkling water or carbonated water instead of soda. But this is not a great choice. With the newly popular soda maker devices, you can make carbonated water in your own home with a push of a button. They inject your water with carbon dioxide. • sparkling water can wear out tooth enamel due to its carbonation, • increase IBS symptoms, trigger constipation and/or diarrhea in some, • and it often many contain unhealthy additives and sweeteners.

Here are a few examples of common foods and drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Added Sugar: • Mt Dew 12 oz can= 46g/11.5 tsp sugar • VitaminWater =32 grams/8tsp sugar • Sport Drink 20ozbottle= 32g/8 tsp sugar • Ketchup 1 tbsp= 1 tsp sugar • Sports Drinks can often be mistaken as a healthy choice for those who exercise. However, sports drinks are designed to hydrate and fuel trained athletes during prolonged, intense periods of exercise. For this reason, they contain high amounts of added sugars that can be quickly absorbed and used for energy. • Granola is often marketed as a low-fat health food, despite being high in both calories and sugar. Oats are healthy, however, the oats in granola have been combined with nuts and honey or other added sweeteners, which increases the amount of sugar and calories. If you like granola, try choosing one with less added sugar or make your own. • Flavored Coffees have sugar levels that can be staggering. A large flavored coffee in some coffeehouse chains can contain up to 25 teaspoons of sugar! • Crazy Sugar example-The sugar in one 12 oz soda is as much as in 1 orange + 16 strawberries + 2 plums!

4) You are sweet enough already. Believe it, then plan and shop like it! As you reduce sugar, your taste buds will change. You’ll really be able to feel the results!

Believe it! Super-sweet foods like ice cream and candy will start to taste too sweet. When you could have a whole slice of cake before, now a couple bites will be enough. You'll notice the natural sweetness in fruits vegetables—and yes, I promise they will taste better, too.

Plan! You can still indulge in an occasional sweet treat after you resolve to slash sugar. The idea is to avoid wasting your daily sugar quota on non-dessert foods like cereals, ketchup, and bread. To avoid overdoing it, only have desert after dinner on one weekend day or as a special treat. • When baking cookies, brownies, or cakes, cut the sugar called for in your recipe by one-third to one-half. Often you won’t notice the difference. • Enhance foods with spices and extracts instead of sugar. Try ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, or almond, vanilla, orange and lemon.

Shop like it! Buy unsweetened. Buy foods labeled "no added sugar" or "unsweetened." You'll find unsweetened versions of these common foods in most grocery stories: non-dairy milk like almond milk, nut butters (look for those made with only nuts and salt).

Do not go cold turkey, just cut back slowly. Stay sweet everyone and little by little you can avoid eating sweets. YAY you!

In sunshine & strength,

Lisa

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