We all know about the dangers of sugar and that eating too much can have some seriously negative effects on your body. From child obesity to tooth decay, sugars have a pretty notorious reputation.
Despite this, most people regularly still consume more than their daily allowance of sugars. Combine this with clever advertising tactics and almost anything can ‘appear’ to be a healthy food source, without mentioning the amount of sugar in it. With so much confusion around what is in our food, you might be wondering if you are intaking too much sugar in your diet and if so, what can you do about it?
Types of sugar:
Generally speaking, people are eating too many sugars, however not all sugars are made equally.
Free Sugars: When we speak about sugar being linked to obesity or weight gain, we are typically referring to free sugars. Free sugars are refined sugars which have been added into foods by either the manufacturer or consumer. This would include products like honeys, syrups and fruit juices.
Free sugars can generally be found in abundance in most artificial foods. The average adult should intake no more than 30g of free sugars a day, however it is incredibly easy to go over this amount. For example, a standard chocolate bar can contain around 25g of free sugar and a 330ml can of cola holds up to 35g of free sugar.
As sugars are quite calorie dense, eating too much not only contributes towards people having too many calories, leading to weight gain and obesity, but they can also increases your risk of health problems such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Natural Sugars: This being said, not all sugars should be treated the same as free sugars. Sugars found naturally in foods such as lactose in milk products and fructose from whole fruits and veg are can both be beneficial additions to your diet, giving you a natural energy boost that can get your day off to a great start.
However, even these sugars can be problematic when consumed in certain ways. For example when fruits are blended into smoothies, because the fibre is removed, the sugar becomes free. This is the reason that fruit smoothies should not make up a large part of your diet and can cause some serious swings in your blood sugar levels. In general though, as long as these sugars are not being consumed in large quantities they are nothing to worry about, click here to find out more.
How can I lower my sugar intake?
As free sugars are often found in foods that are higher in calories and not very nutrient dense, you may want to lower your intake of these types of processed foods. If done correctly, this can make some big differences to your day, overall productivity and weight.
To begin with, instead of opting for that fizzy drink, try swapping it out for some naturally flavoured water. By adding some chopped fruit into your water, the flavours will seep in, giving you your very own delicious fruity beverage which can give you a great energy boost.
Likewise, remember that sharing is caring! Instead of eating that entire chocolate bar to yourself, share it with a friend! Not only will you be in their best books, but you will be lowering the amount of free sugars you are eating whilst still enjoying the chocolate!
It is important to remember that good nutrition is not all about cutting things out altogether, instead it is just about being sensible with what you are eating and finding a sustainable balance that works for you!
