Sugar

Sugar

Many of us have a sweet tooth and enjoy a bit of dessert on special occasions. Unfortunately sugar comes in so many forms and disguises that it can often sneak into our diet unnoticed, raising our calorie intake and expanding our waistlines! The majority of adults in the UK consume too much sugar – and don’t get me started on the sugar intake of children! Drinking sugary drinks like pop is probably one of the biggest offenses, and as it’s a drink – it’s something some of us consume without even realising we’re drinking amounts of calories that would horrify us if we realised how much extra we’re taking in!

So is sugar is in disguise – how can I tell if I’m eating it?

In order to identify excess sugar in your diet it’s important that you read labels! It won’t necessarily say ‘sugar’ either so watch out! Below is a list of some of the many disguises of sugar – you can bet that if you see a word with ‘-ose’ on the end, it’s a sugar!

Corn Sweetener, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fructose, Fruit Sugar Concentrates, Galactose, Glucose, HFCS (or High Fructose Corn Syrup), Invert Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Lactose, Malt, Maltose, Malt Syrup, Molasses, Rice Syrup, Sucrose, Syrup.

Now these sugars might be hidden in the foods that you buy, so checking the labels aside – the best way to ensure that you avoid eating sugar you didn’t plan for in your daily calorie intake is to cook from scratch using natural ingredients.

Now foods such as fruit do contain sugar naturally, but these sugars are better for your body and easier for your body to recognise and process. Also when you eat fruit you are also giving your body fibre to aid the digestion process and slower releasing energy than the quick burning sugars in cakes and biscuits.

Now I’m certainly not saying you should never have sugar – never have a dessert or a sweet snack. If you fancy something sweet the best idea is to choose healthy options, make it yourself and try healthier recipes and alternative ways to sweeten baking and include what you are eating in your daily calorie intake.

Choose fruit, fruit smoothies, yogurt or dark organic chocolate for a special treat. Use natural sources of sugar to sweeten foods – try honey, agave nectar or maple syrup. Unfortunately there are plenty of evils and endocrine disrupters in artificial sweeteners – so always go for the natural option if you can!

Thanks for tuning in!