I decided to do some research on Sugar. With the obesity epidemic happening in this country, the high rate of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, I wanted to try to understand it better. I look realistically at myself and I need to make some changes somewhere, somehow.
I'm talking mainly about the added sugar in our foods more than natural sugars. The many names of sugar and even, what the generally thought, appropriate amount of sugar one should ingest/day is. It's kind of staggering.
In all of the articles I read on sugar I found that the recommended intake of added sugar amount was 25 grams/day for women, or 100 calories and 38 grams/day, or 150 calories for men. This is according to the AHA (the American Heart Association);
www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#3_finding_added_sugars_in_food
and the WHO (World Health Organization);
sugarscience.ucsf.edu/the-growing-concern-of-overconsumption/#.WdEj2mhSzIV
Thats about 6 teaspoons and 9 teaspoons respectively. Unfortunately, the typical American takes in around 76-82 grams/day of added sugar, which equates to about 19 teaspoons/day. Holy c__p! That is about 66#'s of sugar/year. Thats a lot of sugar, people. Insane.
For a little perspective, 1-12 oz. can of Coke has 140 calories of sugar in it. Yikes! Did you know that there's close to the same amount in fruit juices too. Another good reason to stick to water.
Some of the articles stated that sugar has an addictive trait along the lines of cocaine and alcohol, even smoking. Really! I can believe that. You can go through withdrawals just like any other addiction. The more you eat, the more you crave. For some people the "every thing in moderation" approach can work but for those of us that are bingers, you may need to go off of sugar completely.
This is a bit of information on some of the hormonal changes that take place with the ingestion of too much sugar;
1) production of glucose in the bloodstream which then goes on to
2) pancreas releasing high levels of insulin which cause
3) the body to store more food calories into stored fat which
4) creates weight gain or even obesity by way of leptin resistance
Leptin resistance is when the brain no longer "hears" the message to stop eating. Leptin is a hormone affected by insulin. Its the body's natural appetite suppressor. When the body's insulin levels are outa whack the it can cause the leptin resistance condition. No resistance can lead to weight gain and so on and so on. You get the picture.
Now, when I refer to added sugar I mean the sugar you add to your coffee, cereal, cookies, cakes, pies, soda, etc. Added sugars are also a part of the processed foods. We know there are natural sugars in foods like fruit and milk. Some of the natural sugars have other names such as fructose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, maltrose. Other names of sugars in our foods are high fructose corn syrup, organic cane sugar, etc. Remember those commercials touting the benefits of high fructose corn syrup? Right.
You don't need to cut back on the natural foods but most assuredly, try to break away from the processed ones. You may notice you'll begin to drop weight and look and feel healthier, have more energy.
Here are some of the foods to try avoiding as processed foods; sodas, baked goods and refined grains, candy. You know what they are. These have no nutritive value in them at all. Refined sugars and refined grains, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, white flour products (bread, pasta Whaaaa). Yes, I made my pasta noodles with a combo of white and semolina flours. Sue me.
I have to say that its pretty easy to take in all of the recommended sugar in just 1 meal or 1 snack. Remember the amount in the soda? Just think about how much is in that candy bar your holding. All of this wonderful news just as we're getting swamped with Halloween candy. Sorry! Here's a link to check out; dailyburn.com/life/health/daily-sugar-intake-infographic/
I realize it's a lot to take in, no pun intended, but it is worth more than a passing thought. Our kids are more obese than ever and there are so many more healthy choices out there to try to get them interested in. They take their cues from us so if we don't have them around thee house, they'll be less likely to want/eat them.
I've even begun snacking on carrots,. Yes, I dip in Roquefort dressing, but still healthier than chips and dip. I'm not a big fan of dried fruits but I do love Fuji apples, nectarines, grapes so there's plenty of healthy snack alternatives.
Believe me, I'm no saint, I love chocolate. In fact, in my world, chocolate is the 6th food group but I have cut way back. My biggest weaknesses are sourdough bread and ice cream bars. I love 'em. I am trying to keep the quantity low but it's better than if I were to buy a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. At least the process of the sourdough is better than plain ole white bread. I'm trying to back off on the bread intake too. Not easy though. Agghhhh, it's not fair.
In short, start looking at the food labels, the ingredients. if you see any of those added sugar names try to avoid it.
I'm talking mainly about the added sugar in our foods more than natural sugars. The many names of sugar and even, what the generally thought, appropriate amount of sugar one should ingest/day is. It's kind of staggering.
In all of the articles I read on sugar I found that the recommended intake of added sugar amount was 25 grams/day for women, or 100 calories and 38 grams/day, or 150 calories for men. This is according to the AHA (the American Heart Association);
www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#3_finding_added_sugars_in_food
and the WHO (World Health Organization);
sugarscience.ucsf.edu/the-growing-concern-of-overconsumption/#.WdEj2mhSzIV
Thats about 6 teaspoons and 9 teaspoons respectively. Unfortunately, the typical American takes in around 76-82 grams/day of added sugar, which equates to about 19 teaspoons/day. Holy c__p! That is about 66#'s of sugar/year. Thats a lot of sugar, people. Insane.
For a little perspective, 1-12 oz. can of Coke has 140 calories of sugar in it. Yikes! Did you know that there's close to the same amount in fruit juices too. Another good reason to stick to water.
Some of the articles stated that sugar has an addictive trait along the lines of cocaine and alcohol, even smoking. Really! I can believe that. You can go through withdrawals just like any other addiction. The more you eat, the more you crave. For some people the "every thing in moderation" approach can work but for those of us that are bingers, you may need to go off of sugar completely.
This is a bit of information on some of the hormonal changes that take place with the ingestion of too much sugar;
1) production of glucose in the bloodstream which then goes on to
2) pancreas releasing high levels of insulin which cause
3) the body to store more food calories into stored fat which
4) creates weight gain or even obesity by way of leptin resistance
Leptin resistance is when the brain no longer "hears" the message to stop eating. Leptin is a hormone affected by insulin. Its the body's natural appetite suppressor. When the body's insulin levels are outa whack the it can cause the leptin resistance condition. No resistance can lead to weight gain and so on and so on. You get the picture.
Now, when I refer to added sugar I mean the sugar you add to your coffee, cereal, cookies, cakes, pies, soda, etc. Added sugars are also a part of the processed foods. We know there are natural sugars in foods like fruit and milk. Some of the natural sugars have other names such as fructose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, maltrose. Other names of sugars in our foods are high fructose corn syrup, organic cane sugar, etc. Remember those commercials touting the benefits of high fructose corn syrup? Right.
You don't need to cut back on the natural foods but most assuredly, try to break away from the processed ones. You may notice you'll begin to drop weight and look and feel healthier, have more energy.
Here are some of the foods to try avoiding as processed foods; sodas, baked goods and refined grains, candy. You know what they are. These have no nutritive value in them at all. Refined sugars and refined grains, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup, white flour products (bread, pasta Whaaaa). Yes, I made my pasta noodles with a combo of white and semolina flours. Sue me.
I have to say that its pretty easy to take in all of the recommended sugar in just 1 meal or 1 snack. Remember the amount in the soda? Just think about how much is in that candy bar your holding. All of this wonderful news just as we're getting swamped with Halloween candy. Sorry! Here's a link to check out; dailyburn.com/life/health/daily-sugar-intake-infographic/
I realize it's a lot to take in, no pun intended, but it is worth more than a passing thought. Our kids are more obese than ever and there are so many more healthy choices out there to try to get them interested in. They take their cues from us so if we don't have them around thee house, they'll be less likely to want/eat them.
I've even begun snacking on carrots,. Yes, I dip in Roquefort dressing, but still healthier than chips and dip. I'm not a big fan of dried fruits but I do love Fuji apples, nectarines, grapes so there's plenty of healthy snack alternatives.
Believe me, I'm no saint, I love chocolate. In fact, in my world, chocolate is the 6th food group but I have cut way back. My biggest weaknesses are sourdough bread and ice cream bars. I love 'em. I am trying to keep the quantity low but it's better than if I were to buy a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. At least the process of the sourdough is better than plain ole white bread. I'm trying to back off on the bread intake too. Not easy though. Agghhhh, it's not fair.
In short, start looking at the food labels, the ingredients. if you see any of those added sugar names try to avoid it.
So, bye, bye for now.
Peace out and keep dancing.
Peace out and keep dancing.
RSS Feed