The Facts About Sugar
By Dr Libby
(Check out My Top 5 Natural Sweeteners)
Sugar is the hot topic in the nutrition world at the moment. It is no secret to many that we are eating too much of what has been coined by some as “white poison.” The World Health Organizations (WHO) recommends that the intake of sugars be less than 10 percent of total energy intake. Yet those living in Australia and New Zealand are having an amount that far exceeds this.
What is most surprising is just how far this substance has invaded the modern diet. Salad dressings, smoothies, muesli bars, crackers, bread, low fat products and even your favourite takeaways are often loaded with sugar. So what do we do about a substance that is not only wreaking havoc with our waistlines but also our quality of life? Is sugar really white poison and how can we live without the substance that we have become so accustomed to?
How much is too much?
Sugar comes in many different forms. Sugars occur naturally in some foods, such as fruit (fructose) and dairy products (lactose), and are also added to a wide variety of foods, usually as sucrose. Sugars can take many different forms, including white, raw or brown sugar, corn syrup, rice syrup, molasses and honey just to name a few. Recent trends indicate that refined sugar consumption in New Zealand and Australia is now around 28.5 teaspoons per day. This absolutely astounds me. Imagine measuring 28.5 teaspoons into a glass and then eating it? Makes you feel a bit sick, doesn’t it? It is however, unfortunately a reality – people are consuming such a large amount of refined sugar, and they are doing it everyday. It is what we do every day that impacts on our health, not we do sometimes.
Many people crave sugar, as it is such a quick source of energy. If you amp yourself up on caffeine, consume a sugary breakfast cereal, or push your body intensely during cardiovascular exercise, your body will predominantly burn glucose as its fuel (as opposed to body fat) and you will likely crave sugar to replenish your stores. For so many people this is the way they operate every single day.
Tip: Fuel yourself for longer. Try adding more fat to your meals, particularly at lunch, in the form of avocado, nuts, organic butter, coconut, tahini, oily fish and observe if your desire for sweet foods mid-afternoon diminishes. Good fats slow down the release of glucose into your blood stream meaning you actually stay full for longer.
Biochemistry of addiction
We are born with a preference for sweet foods. To our early ancestors foods that were sweet indicated that it was a good source of energy, while bitterness was an indication of toxicity. However, the access to sweet foods such as fruit was seasonal and they obviously weren’t guzzling back soft drinks as they foraged for food. Many people in the Western world consume too many sweet foods and it’s no longer about survival.
Recent studies have linked the overconsumption of sugar to an increased risk of kidney damage, heart disease and cancer. We know it’s not good for our health yet many of us can’t stop eating it,whether it is a bag of lollies on the way home from work or a soft drink mid-afternoon – we can’t quite kick the habit.
When you eat sugar it stimulates the release of dopamine in your brain, which makes you feel pleasure. The brain recognises and likes this feeling and begins to crave more, as dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters involved in reward seeking behaviour. In fact, morphine and sugar stimulate the same receptors in your brain and the dangers aren’t just to your waistline. Part of the problem with sugar is that the satiety centre in your brain isn’t activated so you just keep eating it. I have seen and experienced many people who say once they start they can’t stop.
Tip: Although there are physical and biochemical reasons for craving sugar often our craving for sugar has more to do with an emotional need that isn’t being met. “Something sweet” is often perceived as a symbol of joy or happiness or pleasure and we become conditioned to need something sweet to feel complete or satisfied. Identify other non-food related activities that give you a feeling of sweetness and joy.
Fructose – friend or foe?
Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruit, honey and corn and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Lately, fructose has been gaining a lot of negative press, which may seem odd given it’s a natural sugar. Interestingly, fructose must be broken down in the liver and there is evidence to suggest that over-consuming fructose can be detrimental to liver cells, even resulting in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition now being diagnosed in teenagers due to the over-consumption of processed foods and drinks. After drinking a fructose-rich beverage, the brain doesn’t register the feeling of being full. Therefore the body doesn’t adjust its appetite regulatory systems to account for this intake of energy and appetite is unchanged or in fact new research suggests appetite is actually stimulated.
Some of the biggest sources of fructose in Australian and New Zealand diets are fruit juices and fruit, as well as that found in processed foods. When you consume whole fruit you get the benefit of fibre as well as the nutrients and antioxidants present in the fruit. In other words you get some bang for your buck. With processed foods however, including fruit juice, you get very little if any fibre and many processed foods have the nutritional value of cardboard. The less processed food you eat the better your health and waistlines are likely to be.
Interestingly,research has found that many people eat far more fruit than they should. For many of you it will seem like an oxy moron to hear someone like me say to look at your consumption of fruit – after all aren’t we always barking on about eating more fruits and vegetables? The guidelines have been somewhat misinterpreted though. I often hear people exclaim with delight that they’ve eaten 5 or even 12 servings of fruit in a day. What the fruit and vegetable guidelines actually suggest is that 2 servings of fruit and a minimum of 3 servings of vegetables are ideal for optimal health. I would most definitely encourage you to be eating far more than three servings of vegetables but 2 servings of fruit is considered ideal (provided you don’t have digestive system problems such as IBS). Although fruit contains many nutritional benefits such as fibre, vitamins and minerals it’s still a concentrated source of fructose and is best eaten in moderation so stick to 2 pieces per day.
Tip: Berries are one of the lowest fructose fruits and are packed full of antioxidants. They’re wonderful frozen or fresh and can be added to baking, smoothies or just eaten as a snack. Frozen blueberries burst with flavour and make a far more nourishing alternative to lollies – they’re especially great for children.
Artificial sweeteners
Current evidence surrounding the detrimental effects of artificial sweeteners is conflicting. Artificial sweeteners can be divided into two categories nutritive (providing energy) or non-nutritive – which is closer to the point as they offer absolutely no nutritional value to the body. And I cannot guarantee you that they don’t take away from your health. Some people mistakenly believe the use of artificial sweeteners promotes weight loss. Artificial sweeteners do contain fewer calories than sugar but so often this leads to compromising behaviour, for example – the belief that you can eat an extra large portion of the “sugar-free” food. Besides, weight loss is about far more than the calorie equation.
My main concern lies in the fact that we are literally guinea pigs to their consumption and no studies have looked at their consumption over an entire lifetime. Overconsumption of artificial sweeteners has been linked with headaches, changes in vision, diarrhoea, joint pain, rashes and even nausea or vomiting, and more recently the development of type 2 diabetes. You might notice everywhere now that products are being listed as sugar-free, refined sugar free, fructose free… the list goes on. When you use artificial sweeteners you’re not addressing the heart of the matter, which is why you crave the sweet taste in the foods you consume. I encourage people consuming artificial sweeteners to wean off them, as you would white sugar.
Tip: Avoid artificial sweeteners. Check the labels of any store bought items. There are other options that still provide sweetness but are far more nourishing choices. Using medjool dates and small amounts of fruit or pure maple syrup are all good alternatives.
What to do?
I cannot encourage you enough to limit or preferable omit refined sugar from your every day life. If you add sugar to drinks that is a great place to start to cut back but where you will get the most change is by tackling concentrated sources of sugar, such as those found in processed foods. So many people eat foods daily that were intended for birthday parties and if they only ate them on those occasions their health and energy would be vastly improved.
It’s also important to remember that sugar isn’t the only ingredient in processed foods that it’s best to avoid. They also often contain artificial ingredients such as sweeteners, colours and flavourings. Practically, if you choose to eat processed food, a good guide is to look at the per 100 grams column of the label and ideally choose foods with a sugar content of less than 5g per 100g and less often, less than 10g per 100g. I encourage you to make your own sauces and cereals if you eat them and follow the above guide if you are purchasing your items at a supermarket.
Do your health and waistline an enormous favour by consuming less added refined sugar. When it comes to what you eat, from this moment on, raise your standards and make a decision that refined sugar no longer belongs in your body. You wouldn’t fuel your car with petrol that burnt before you even got your car back on the motorway – so why not give your body the fuel it deserves and allow it to run effortlessly?
Tip: Shift your focus. Don’t focus on eating less of anything. Focus on eating more… more Real Food, particularly green vegetables. You may like to start with a green smoothie every morning. Use a piece of fruit so it is more palatable but as you get used to the taste you can decrease or eliminate the fruit. Instead of specifically focusing on decreasing your consumption of sugar you are focusing on something positive – increasing your consumption of greens and the enormous health benefits of having more greens in your diet. After making this change you will notice just how sweet sugar is and your cravings will begin to diminish.
Source: Dr Libby
So what kind of sugar can I eat?
Check out My Top 5 Natural Sweeteners HERE!!
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Wellness Expert and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Teacher, Stress Educator, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki now provides holistic personalised programs and retreats to inspire self-love, healing, body confidence and food freedom. Viki’s passion is to help you balance your mindset, body and life to become happy, healthy and confident!
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