Food of the Week - Sugar part 4

SUGAR   Part 4.

So far this week, we have looked at some of the myths around sugar intake and I have really, really, really pushed for you to take positive action by using the Change for Life – sugar smart app.

https://vimeo.com/149674051

It is a clever little piece that I would advise you try if you are serious about lowering your added sugar intake, which will in turn lower your risks for obesity, tooth decay and other diseases.

Please don’t think I am ‘anti-sugar’– in fact it’s almost impossible to eat a diet totally void of sugar!  Rather, it is the excess intake that we must address.

If you are wondering where or how to start lowering your sugar intake, begin by ceasing to add any more sugar to foods or drinks. Then begin to cut back, it’s amazing how quickly you can ‘train’ your palate to accept less sugar. Cereals can be a good food to begin with – stop adding sugar or honey, avoid the sweetened variety and go for whole wheat; low sugar variants.

Then begin checking your consumption of drinks, (see below for sugar content in beverages) some may be very high in sugar – aim to drink less of them or cut them out completely. Others may be a surprise to you!

Estimated sugar content in common drinks.
Taken from BMA article in DailyMail pub13.7.15

Then consider your snacks and decide to cut down on sugary snacks and use the app to help you with sugar swaps.

I wanted to touch upon Sugar Substitutes before signing off this week. Many people are confused about the safety of sugar substitutes, and unclear on what they are. 

Hopefully I can shed some light:

1.    POLYOLS:  these are compounds known as ‘sugar alcohols’ and include erythritol, isomalt, maltitol,mannitol,sorbitol and xylitol. 

They can be natural or artificially produced. Polyols contain carbohydrates and calories, but they have fewer calories and less of an effect on blood glucose levels than sugar.  Polyols are usually used in products marketed as ‘diabetic’ or ‘suitable for diabetics’ Consuming large amounts of polyols can have a laxative effect, causing bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea. They are not recommended for people with diabetes anymore and people with Diabetes are advised to avoid them

2.    

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS:

These are also called ‘Non nutritive sweeteners.

There are various artificial sweeteners licensed for use in the UK.

These include: 

·      Aspartame: used in Canderel, Hermesetas granulated  

·      Saccharin: used in Hermesetas mini sweeteners 

·      Sucralose: used in Splenda 

·      Acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K): used in Hermesetas Gold sweetener

·      Cyclamate: used in Hermesetas liquid.

Some products are made from a combination of two artificial sweeteners.

Sweeteners are commonly found in ‘sugar-free’ or ‘diet’ foods and drinks, diet fizzy drinks, fruit juices, jellies, yogurts, chewing gums and many other foods.

Stevia plant:

This is quite a new group of non-nutritive sweeteners. They include naturally sourced, calorie-free sweeteners made from the stevia plant, eg Truvia and Stevia. They are 200–300 times sweeter than sugar and are heat stable, so can be used in cooking and baking. 

                           

Are sweeteners safe?

There has been, and continues to be, some bad publicity and controversies about certain artificial sweeteners. It’s worth noting that all non-nutritive sweeteners used in foods in the EU have to undergo rigorous safety testing before being approved by the European Commission.

Food ingredient manufacturers have to provide evidence from safety studies showing that the sweetener in question:

·      doesn’t cause any adverse effects, including cancer

·      doesn’t affect reproduction

·      doesn’t cause allergic reactions

·      isn’t stored within the body, or metabolised into other potentially unsafe products.

Your choice:

Whether you use sweeteners or not is up to you. They can be useful but it is important to note that they are 1000s of times sweeter than sugar and need only to be used in very small amounts. Use of sweeteners DOES NOT really address the need for that sweet taste though. 

This is worth noting when trying to ‘retrain' our taste buds.  There has also been quite a bit if speculation as to the effect some sweeteners have on appetite, and whether they increase desire to eat more.

Hope this is short and sweet enough!