There has been a lot of media publicity recently about how sugar is “evil” and sugar is responsible for weight gain not fats etc..
Lets clear this up:
Simple sugars (glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose etc) offer very little nutritional value and will rapidly raise your blood sugar levels causing a rapid insulin response. Repetitive cycles of this puts increased stress on your insulin system, all organs, circulatory system, digestive system and nervous system.
High sugar diets can lead to and have been linked with:
Body fat gain
Mood disorders
Sleeping disorders
Diabetes
Heart disease
Stroke
Chronic fatigue syndromes
Chronic inflammatory disorders
Arthritis
Gout
Decreased concentration and mental focus
Poor gut health
Recently it has been reported the average Australian diet consists of 30- 40 teaspoons of sugar per day… 160g!
The American heart association recommends 6 teaspoons (25g) per day for females and 9 teaspoons for males (38g). However, many health organisations and research papers believe this is still too high and say the recommendations should be 20g females and 28g males.
Think your doing okay?
I encourage everyone to track how much sugar they are eating for an average day and see how you compare. Include all drinks.
Also bear in mind if you want to decrease body fat and weight then really you need to be below this average number.
Most of us are aware of the obvious foods to be avoiding and limiting, soft drinks, cakes, sweets, and biscuits but there are lots of hidden sugars in foods that are marketed as being “healthy”:
Foods to be aware of:
Yoghurt – 20-40g of sugar per small tub
Canned soup – 20g
Muesli bars – 15 -30g
Bread – 4g / slice
Sauces – 4 g / serving
Fruit juice – 20 g / glass
Cereal – 15-30 g per serving
Dried fruit – 60 -80g / 100g
