Posted on September 27, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

For optimal body composition sugar is much more of a hindrance than a help. Eliminating sugar as much as possible from your diet will help you stay lean; prevent diabetes as well of a whole host of health problems such as cancer, hypertension and heart disease. It’s not the sugar directly that causes these problems but the fact that too much sugar is consumed in our diets causing weight gain and deterioration of health.

Sugar should be used sparingly in our diet however the average consumption of sugar is 22 teaspoons a day. That’s about 350 kcal or nearly a pound a week!!!

Sugar, In many people’s vocabulary it is seen as a swear word. In other people’s diets, it’s a word used so often you can’t even keep track.  So why the extremes?  People either  completely avoid sugar, or they eat it likes its going out of fashion! The  main concern is that many people are unaware of how many food products contain hidden sugars.

It is unbelievable how much sugar is hidden in foods we eat regularly and appear to be okay.  As we may know, fruit juice is high up there for being one of the most misleading.   However there is also a lot of hidden sugar in dried berries, protein bars, condiments, pasta and those salad dressings… that shop bought salad no longer seems as healthy.

So what can you do?  Everyone is doing so much better looking at the nutrional labels on back on packets making note of the total calories but are you looking at the total breakdown of the macronutrients? You may look at a snack bar and see it has got 200 calories which doesn’t look to bad. However check the sugar level if its 15g of sugar or more per 100g put it back! You should be aiming to look for foods with a sugar serving of 5g or less.

As always there is an exception to the rule which is fruit but we can categories this as ‘natural sugars’ as it is different to ‘processed sugars’.

The problems with sugar

Although sugar is oaky in moderation this can still cause issues. Sugar has the effect of altering hormone responses and brain function so that we are driven to eat more of it.

When we eat sugar our wakefulness and energy expenditures are affected. Especially when is it sugary carbs you become less alert. For example dopamine signalling is reduced so you feel less pleasure and want more sweetie treats, while the hormone leptin, suppresses hunger.

Top Tips to Reduce That Sugar Intake

1. Read Food Labels In Detail. Check the ingredients list for  fruit juice concentrates, syrup, honey, sugar, fructose. Secondly, check the nutrition label for how many grams of sugar are in the food.
2. Eliminate All Processed Foods. The easiest way to reduce sugar is to eliminate all processed food. Instead eat whole foods like white milk, nuts, seed, beans, vegetables
3. Tea or coffee. If you add sugar just STOP!
4. Avoid all fizzy drinks. They have very high levels of sugar and have ingredients that result in cravings

7 UP	37g
Cherry Coke	42g
Coke	39g
Sprite	39g

 

1. Start By Limiting Sugar Intake to 100 Calories a Day. If you are a sugar junkie and can’t possibly eliminate sugar completely. Start by cutting back, Aim for 25g or 100 calories per day
2. Avoid Fruit Juice. Juice contains none of the fiber of fruit and most fruit juices have a ridiculous amount of added sugar. Even If they don’t from a body composition perspective, you need to avoid these as the liquid sugar (mainly fructose) is quickly converted into fat just like fizzy drinks.

So in order to be lean and healthy try to reduce the levels of sugar in your diet our bodies do not need as much as we eat.  By preparing meals from scratch instead of relying on processed food, tins and jars you can control how much sugar you intake. Also be sure to check sugar content as well as the overall Calorie content.

Remember you’re sweet enough!!

Lucy