Sneaky Sugars

Sneaky Sugars: Pure, White and Deadly

Sugars added to common foods could be sabotaging your attempts to lose weight and increase well-being. According to the World Health Organization, refined, added sugars should make up no more than 10% of your daily calorie intake. For women, daily caloric intake should range between 1800 and 2200 calories per day, while men should consume between 2200 and 3000. That means no more than 220 calories of sugar for women, which equates to approximately 7 tsp of sugar. Recommendations from the American Heart Association suggest fewer than 6 teaspoons for women, and 9 for men. Unfortunately, you may be consuming more sugar than you think because of sneaky sugars added to processed foods. In the U.S. the average person consumes between 22 and 30 teaspoons of sugar per day. And if you’re aiming to exercise to burn off excess calories, it would take one hour of walking at 6.43kph to burn off the 330 calories that come from 22 tsp of sugar. Below are some common snacks and their sugar content in teaspoons.

Liquid Sugars

250mL white wine

2 tsp

Pre-packaged Chai Latte

3 tsp

275mL alcopop (bottles alcoholic beverage)

5 tsp

250mL bottle processed fruit juice

6 tsp

375mL can soft drink

10 tsp

650mL frappe or flavoured smoothie

20 tsp

Snack Foods

1 chocolate biscuit

2 tsp

1 muesli or energy bar

5 tsp

Small tub yoghurt with dried fruit

7 tsp

53g chocolate bar

9.5 tsp

200g block milk chocolate

19 tsp

Hidden Sugars

1 slice plain bread

2 tsp

1 slice raisin toast

4 tsp

1 cup white rice with teriyaki sauce

4 tsp

1 cup pasta with sauce from a jar

4 tsp

50g breakfast cereal

5 tsp

1 berry muffin

6 tsp

Several diets have proven effective in encouraging weight loss and the successful results were attributed to the reduction in overall sugar consumption. The popularized Atkins diet suggests a high fat low carb diet, while the Japanese diet is no fat, high carb consumption but both reduce or eliminate sugars and sweeteners. Reducing the intake of processed foods will decrease consumption of sugar and sweetener, including high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is now is 70% of all processed foods in the United States and although sucrose is used in Australia, many imported foods will contain HFCS. Americans are consuming approximately 63kg of sugar per person per year while Australians aren’t far behind at 42kg per person per year. HFCS is blamed in part for the increase in obesity because it does not cause release of the hormone leptin (sends messages to the brain to suppress the hunger hormone) and fructose can only be processed by the liver **as opposed to glucose sugars and sucrose that can be processed by the blood .

Dr. Lustig – Paleolithic Diet can cure diabetes in one week.

Paleo Diet is low carb, high fibre and a balance of meat and vegetables

Raw food diet can cure Type 1 diabetes in 30 days

Sugar Content of Common Foods by Percentage

Unmodified Foods

Water

Corn

0.5%

Oats

1.0%

Wheat

1.1%

Tomatoes

2.4%

Milk

5.6%

Apples and Oranges

8-10%

Processed Foods

Plain Greek Yoghurt

4.8%

Flavoured Yoghurt

11.8%

Tomato Paste

8-11%

Icecream

18-24%

Frozen Yoghurt

21%

Tomato Ketchup

24%

Processed Drinks

Berri Australian Grown Orange Juice

9.3%

Coke

10.6%

Lemonade

10.8%

Flavoured Milk

11%

Apple Juice

12%

Processed Deserts

Coles Apple Pies

21%

Coles Dark Fruit Cake

42.5%

Milk Chocolate

56%

High Fructose Corn Syrup

74%

Premixed Cereals

All-Bran

19.7%

Original Alpen

23.1%

Uncle Toby’s Plus Fibre Apples &Sultanas

24.6%

Freedom Foods Gluten Free Muesli

24.6%

Sun Sol Natural Oats Fruity Muesli

30.2%

Healthy Diet Recommendations

Avoid fruit juices and soft drinks
Flavour foods with herbs and spices instead of packaged condiments
Keep a fruit bowl on your counter to encourage packaging-free snacking
Hide sugary snack foods in opaque containers in the back of the pantry to reduce temptation
Avoid bulk buying or super-size deals which can actually increase consumption by 22%
Aim for high fibre, complex carbs such as legumes, vegetables and grains to help balance blood sugar

Sources:

The Monash University Low FODMAP diet (www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap

Sugar: The Bitter Truth, Dr. R. Lustig (YouTube)

Pure, White and Deadly, John Yudkin, Viking, 1972

Typed and edited by Leslie Gray