The Great Sugar Debate
Sugar is evil- that’s what some doctors and other health experts declare; then there are other doctors and nutrition experts saying it isn’t. The recent launch of Action on Sugar has made some public statements saying that sugar is as harmful to our health as tobacco. This was followed up with other health experts saying it wasn’t true and so the debate begins.
If the experts can’t agree – I can understand why you’d be frustrated and confused.
After reading this recent article, I thought I’d add my two cents!
I agree with the critics it is unreasonable to blame one item, on the global obesity epidemic but I definitely agree that sugar has played a role. In the end though, I don’t blame sugar I blame government regulations around the addition of sugar in our food supply.
When you pick up a package of processed food it is pretty common to find sugar being added to it. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy to pick out as these days it comes in many different forms and chemical names:
Barley malt, Barbados sugar, Beet sugar, Brown sugar, Buttered syrup, Cane juice, Cane sugar, Caramel, Corn syrup, Corn syrup solids, Confectioner’s sugar, Carob syrup, Castor sugar, Date sugar, Dehydrated cane juice, Demerara sugar, Dextran, Dextrose, Diastatic malt, Diatase, Ethyl maltol, Free Flowing Brown Sugars, Fructose, Fruit juice, Fruit juice concentrate, Galactose, Glucose, Glucose solids, Golden sugar, Golden syrup, Grape sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Icing sugar, Invert sugar, Lactose, Malt, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Malt syrup, Mannitol, Maple syrup, Molasses, Muscovado, Panocha, Powdered Sugar, Raw sugar, Refiner’s syrup, Rice syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum syrup, Sucrose, Sugar (granulated), Treacle, Turbinado sugar, Yellow sugar
How are you to monitor your sugar intake if you can’t even find it on the label!
So what can you do?
- Eat whole foods that are less processed- this will reduce your exposure to sugar.
- Eat fruit within season and enjoy it’s natural flavor.
- Infuse water with fruit for a thirst quenching option versus a sugar flavored beverage-the more sugar you consume the thirstier you become thus increasing your risk to consume more sugar based beverages…
- Try baking at home.
- Consume sugar in moderation-it is unreasonable and completely ineffective to assume you are going to be able deny yourself sugar for the rest of your life. Denying yourself will only lead to overconsumption and create negative thoughts and feelings around sweets which can lead to a whole bunch of issues-that is for another blog…
- Keep it real! If you want something sweet eat the real thing and not pump your body full of artificial sweeteners! The fake substitutes never taste the same and are typically full of a bunch of other chemicals and not whole foods.
