SUGAR! SUHWEET, RIGHT? NOT SO FAST...
Today we're talking about sugar. Think you're not getting too much? Think again, and here's how to do that with these tips on being sugar-savvy!
RISKS OF TOO MUCH SUGAR
Hey, we're ingesting too much of that stuff. We adults consume about 17 teaspoons of it every day, up to three times more than we should. The American Heart Association says we actually consume about 60 pounds of sugar every year. Yikes! Research shows that sugar can give our brains a dopamine boost that feels good and give us an energy spurt, too.
And of course, sugar tastes good, but too much of it...THAT can damage our teeth, increase inflammation in our joints, and maybe even age our skin. No, we don't want that. It can also harm our liver or stress our heart, or put us at risk for diabetes, and that can encourage kidney disease. Then there's weight gain for some people.
SLY SUGAR HIDES IN MANY FOODS!
We gals shouldn't take in more than about six teaspoons of sugar a day, but we do. The thing is, sugar hides in high fructose corn syrup, for example. Watch out for suffixes that end in O-S-E on the end of words, like dextrose. And then there's maple syrup and of course, honey. Those are a little more obvious. Read those food labels, those nutrition facts.
Desserts, sweet snacks and candy, of course, are culprits. Soft drinks are next...Breakfast cereals and bars and sweetened yogurt.
Ooh, and check out ketchup and, I happen to have some right here, barbecue sauce. There's sugar in that and also in salad dressings.
THINK 'MODERATION'
Of course, with anything, we need to find middle ground because the jury's also out on sugar substitutes. Longer-term studies didn't show weight loss benefits, but did raise some risks. Good grief, right? It takes discipline to break a habit, and I like...and still do...canned lemonade in my Arnold Palmers; that's iced tea and lemonade. And there's the high fructose corn syrup.
STORES HAVE NEW SUGAR-FREE PRODUCTS
Now I'm getting more into no cal, no sugar sparkling water, and I happen to have one right here. Seltzer with fruit flavors. Sometimes we're darned if we do and darned if we don't. Even when we try to do the right thing, and most of us do, knowledge is still power and it's good to be aware. Thanks for being here on Mind Your Body.
We'll be watching that sugar intake, right? I'll see you at my next episode. Bye!