Why Sugar Is Your Foe, Not Your Friend

By Hilary Frew on September 17, 2012

The average American consumes twenty-two teaspoons of added sugars daily, primarily from sugary beverages, according to the American Diabetic Association. The website also states that ‘the amount of added sugars in American cuisine has jumped 19 percent from 1970 to 2005. Examples include ketchup, BBQ sauce, sweetened dried fruit, lemonade and fruit punches, and granola bars.’

Another problem is with labels– they do not tell us how much of the sugar is added or natural. Rather, both are added together in the total amount stated.

When you consume sugar, it turns into glucose. Then, it heads straight to your muscles and is stored as energy. If it is not used immediately, then it is stored as fat.

 

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

The long term effects of sugar are more detrimental than you might think, such as possible excess weight gain and missing key nutrients. Also, one can developing chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

And in a situation where you can grab a candy bar or a piece of fruit, the latter will be victorious every time. High sugar foods will not fill you up, because they are empty calories. It is better to consume foods with natural sugar, says Julie Kennel, PhD and Registered Dietician at OSU. “[You should be] choosing food in its more natural state. Like a strawberry instead of dried fruit,” she says.

In addition, she says that aspartame has good and bad attributes about it. “Fake sugar is not good, it makes you crave [real] sugar,” she explains. “But, it has less calories than regular sugar.” Kennel says that she eats both, but less sugar intake is always the better choice.

To give you an idea of how much sugar you should consume in a day, you should take into consideration your BMI and your activity level. According to the American Heart Association, sugar should account for no more than 5 to 10 percent of total caloric intake. In plain English, this means women should consume no more than one-hundred calories from sugar (or twenty-five grams) and men should consume no more than one-hundred and fifty calories from sugar (or thirty-seven grams). To give you an idea of how much this is, think of a Luna bar or a medium-sized apple. One of these items is the most sugar you can have in a day to maintain good health.

Sounds difficult? It may very well be.

 

Mission Sugar Detox

If you have a ‘sweet tooth’ and depend on sugar, there are ways to ease off it slowly. Through the use of spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg, you can add flavor without calories. For dessert, you can enjoy one ounce of dark chocolate, which has fewer calories than milk chocolate.  The benefit of laying off sugar is that taste buds will adapt to the less sweet taste, according to Kennel.

Soft drinks really are as bad as they are cracked up to be. ‘Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugars in the American diet,’ according to AHA. So lay off pop, and drink lots of water. If you’re a coffee person, Kennel recommends that you ask the baristas to use half the amount of syrup per shot. This is due to the fact that there are lots of artificial sweeteners added to drinks such as lattes and cappucinos.

In the end, it is up to you to monitor your sugar intake. Too much, you will get a mouthful of cavities and several diseases. Too little? You’re probably doing something right.

Keep up the good fight, my friends.

 

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