Sugar is in just about every product we consume, donuts, ketchup,fruit juice, yogurt, orange juice, etc. You may think that if you do not add on sugar you are perfectly fine, but you are WRONG. In my definition sugar is a toxic, addictive, and deadly substance. I can’t say I don’t consume a lot of sugar, but I try to be aware of how much sugar I am intaking. My parents have taught my sister and I how to read food labels, and think about what is really actually healthy for us. For example, I use to eat poptarts for breakfast...a lot. Now that I know how to read nutrition labels I can see how “healthy”poptarts really are.
On the nutrition label it says 17 grams of sugar is in one serving which equals about 1 teaspoon of sugar. That's just for a serving size which is 1 pastry. Together it is 2 teaspoons of sugar for breakfast.
How do you read a nutrition label?
Being able to read a nutrition label is actually an important part of staying healthy. You need to understand what you are putting in your body and how much of it.
Some Natural foods are not really “healthy,” “A food product can have huge amounts of calories, sugar and salt, and still be “natural”" (http://www.slideshare.net/ssuser66e65f/healthy-cooking-tips)
Organic foods are food products that are “without the use of artificial chemicals” (http://www.slideshare.net/ssuser66e65f/healthy-cooking-tips) . However they can still be bad for your health.
“An organic product can still have a tremendously high amount of sugar, like premium ice cream, making it less ideal for a healthy lifestyle.” (http://www.slideshare.net/ssuser66e65f/healthy-cooking-tips)
Low Fat or Fat Free
Sometimes that can be a bunch of baloney. “Low fat or fat free” products tend to have a lot of sugar and calories that are very fattening.
Serving Size
This is where you can amount of serving per package. Serving size helps you calculate how much calories and other nutrients (and sugar) is in an ideal serving. The problem is how much serving do you really eat?
Calories From Fat
This tells you how much fat is in the food.
Percentage & Daily value
“Tells you the amount of nutrient present in a single serving , compared to the recommended daily intake value” (quote from above).
Carbohydrates
A type of macronutrient that includes, simple and complex varieties. The complex carbs (good) come from whole grains, vegetables and fruits. The simple carbs (that are bad) have little to no nutrition value, and are typically found in candy, sweets, refined sugar, white rice, and breads.
Fiber
Fiber is actually a good thing, it is an essential nutrient that helps w/ weight loss.
Sugars
(Our main topic)
“Refined sugar should be consumed in moderation” (quote from the top). Foods with high amount of sugar, cookies, candy, cakes, should be eliminated as much as possible to support healthy weight management and reduce the risk of Diabetes.
Fats, Cholesterol and Sodium
Should be consumed in moderation. That's only if you want to reduce your risk of heart disease. If you do eat foods w/ higher dietary fiber and less fat, sodium, and cholesterol.
"Not all fats and cholesterol are bad for your health:
- Unsaturated fats when consumed in moderate amounts are healthy. No more than 7% of total daily calories should be from saturated fats.
- Trans fat should be avoided like the plague, aim to consume the lowest possible amount of transfat dail, less that 1% is recommended by the american heart association.
Two types of cholesterol: High-density lipoprotein (HDL-good cholesterol) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL- bad cholesterol). Look for foods with higher amount HDL and lower amount of LDL.
Sodium: Excessive sodium can increase blood pressure; many foods have really high sodium content without tasting “salty.” Always check the %DV before buying and don’t add salt to foods that are already high in sodium."
Now you know how to read a nutrition label?
How much sugar do we intake in a day?
It is recommended that 6 teaspoons of added sugar for women daily. 9 teaspoons of added sugar for men daily.
Wow
Do the math
If you look at the image above ( image from: http://dailyburn.com/life/health/daily-sugar-intake-infographic/) , you can see how much someone ruffly consumes a day. However, the sugar measurement is counted by grams. You can change it from grams to teaspoons by dividing it by 4. If we looked at snacks, and looked at how many grams of sugar is in 1 blueberry muffin and divided it by 4 we would get:
384=9.5
So there is 9.5 teaspoons of sugar in 1 blueberry muffin! That's more sugar than recommend ever for a guy to intake(Which is 9 teaspoons of sugar) all in one snack.
How does sugar affect your body?
You do not need to keep away from sugar, just be aware.
Sugar Alternatives
-
- zero calories
- https://www.truvia.com/health (click the link for info. about Healthcare Professionals & Diatary Information)
- you can get a free sample on their site
-
- It does not affect your blood sugar (safe for diabetics)
note: avoid aspartame
Thank you,
Comment below if you have
- anything you want me to expand more on in a post
- any questions about this post
- suggestions for future posts
Melz
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