Sugar: The Bitter Truth By Wendy Hill While sugar may not be labelled as a poison, its excessive consumption is closely l<strong>in</strong>ked to a myriad of chronic health conditions. But how well do we really understand the role sugar plays <strong>in</strong> our bodies? Are we even aware of the daily <strong>in</strong>take of sugars from our foods and dr<strong>in</strong>ks? Delve <strong>in</strong>to this article to uncover the truths about sugar and its effects on our well-be<strong>in</strong>g. How does sugar affect our health? Your body breaks down foods <strong>in</strong>to glucose, and it uses glucose as a primary source of energy. Sugar <strong>in</strong> our diet is quickly broken down <strong>in</strong>to glucose, however it also breaks down other food sources <strong>in</strong>to glucose such as simple carbohydrates, vegetable and fruits and even prote<strong>in</strong>. The simple way to th<strong>in</strong>k about it is that the less complex the food, the more processed it is, or the more sugar it conta<strong>in</strong>s the quicker it will be converted to glucose. When everyth<strong>in</strong>g is work<strong>in</strong>g correctly, <strong>in</strong>sul<strong>in</strong> then shuttles glucose <strong>in</strong>to our cells, or and it can store some <strong>in</strong> our muscles and liver, ready for use when we need energy. However, if we are eat<strong>in</strong>g foods that are quickly converted <strong>in</strong>to glucose or a diet that predom<strong>in</strong>antly conta<strong>in</strong>s these foods, it has an impact on our <strong>in</strong>sul<strong>in</strong> levels. This results <strong>in</strong> two outcome that can seriously affect our health: 1. Insul<strong>in</strong> resistance - This is the technical term used when our body no longer reacts to <strong>in</strong>sul<strong>in</strong> correctly. If we are eat<strong>in</strong>g lots of processed or sugar laden foods then our body is constantly be<strong>in</strong>g asked to produce <strong>in</strong>sul<strong>in</strong> to help shuttle it <strong>in</strong>to our liver and muscles. But after a while your body starts to get used to the <strong>in</strong>sul<strong>in</strong> and it does not react correctly. You try to produce more, which can help, but it will often lead to excess sugar <strong>in</strong> the blood, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and even chronic liver disease. 2. Increase <strong>in</strong> fat - When you have stored as much glucose as you can <strong>in</strong> your muscles and your liver your body will immediately turn the excess <strong>in</strong>to fat. And it stores this firstly around the middle. The Pros and Cons of Sweeteners Artificial sweeteners have been around for over a century, but it wasn't until the late 1950s that they were regularly added to foods, the idea be<strong>in</strong>g that they are calorie-free and so could be enjoyed guilt-free. Yet if you look back at photos from the 1960s compared to now it’s clear we are gett<strong>in</strong>g progressively fatter as a nation. So, what went wrong? Our bodies have a complex relationship with food, and when it tastes sweet food it is expect<strong>in</strong>g both calories and foods that it can convert to glucose. We now believe that the absence of any real nutrients has been driv<strong>in</strong>g us to over consume calories <strong>in</strong> search of that promised energy. Is hidden sugar driv<strong>in</strong>g our need for sweet foods? When you eat a lot of sugar your tastebuds become dulled to the sweetness. However, once you cut out unnecessary added sugar and sweeteners for a few weeks it's amaz<strong>in</strong>g how quickly your tastebuds reset. Foods that you used to consume on a regular basis will taste over sweet and artificial, and you will rediscover the wonderful natural sweetness of real fruit. It is recommended that we don’t eat more than 30g of sugar a day, yet the average UK adult is consum<strong>in</strong>g closer to 100g. If you are eat<strong>in</strong>g a chocolate bar or a sweet you know that you are eat<strong>in</strong>g a sugar food. But what you might not realise is where sugar is hid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> some foods that you might have thought as healthy: • Seeded brown bread - around 1.7g per slice • Fruit yoghurt - around 12g per pot • Breakfast fibre bar - around 7g per bar • Tomato Soup - around 20g • Chilli Sauce Jar - around 25g per jar Shock<strong>in</strong>g isn’t it? Reset your Tastebuds & Get Label Savvy It is possible to reset your tastebuds and I would recommend start<strong>in</strong>g with check<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>gredients labels of the foods that you are eat<strong>in</strong>g. The <strong>in</strong>gredients are listed <strong>in</strong> order of volume: if your healthy fruit yoghurt has sugar listed before berries, it has more added sugar than real fruit. Food companies often employ sneaky tactics when list<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>gredients. Keep an eye out for anyth<strong>in</strong>g end<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> '-ose' or labelled as syrup; these are just different names for sugar. So, if your label reads 'sugar,' 'glucose,' and 'corn syrup,' that's essentially three types of sugar packed <strong>in</strong>to one meal! Generally, the less processed the food the less chance there is for added sugar or sweeteners. So, try buy<strong>in</strong>g pla<strong>in</strong> yoghurt and add<strong>in</strong>g your own fruit to it. And <strong>in</strong>stead of buy<strong>in</strong>g a chilli sauce add passata and some chilli season<strong>in</strong>g to your m<strong>in</strong>ce for a sugarfree alternative. It's time to take back control - you decide what goes <strong>in</strong>to your shopp<strong>in</strong>g basket and we can significantly reduce the amount of sugar by abandon<strong>in</strong>g brands that add sugar unnecessarily to our food. *Wendy Hill is a Nutritional Therapist, Nutrigenomics Practitioner, public speaker, yoga teacher, and health coach. With a wealth of expertise <strong>in</strong> these fields, she delivers <strong>in</strong>sightful presentations to groups on topics <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g health, longevity, and menopause. You can f<strong>in</strong>d Wendy on podcast and social media as Fab Female Nutrition or contact her at wendy@hillstart.me.uk. 24
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