Oh Sugar, why are you so sweet?
Oh sugar, why are you so scented?
Melting in my mouth like a syrup
Harnessing my emotions like a cheer up
But oh, people talk about your evils
They say, ‘Leave sugar, lose weight ‘
And smashing this myth, mending people’s minds, imparting truth
Let’s read on and discover the extent of reality it boosts!
Consuming no sugar is said to be the ultimate way to reduce weight. To know about this, here are few pointers that you should know about fitting sugar into your diet.
Fructose containing sugars and naturally occurring Sugar :
Naturally occurring sugar if taken in moderation is not harmful. The issue lies in added sugars or fructose-containing sugar. Consumption of added sugar may lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. 1
Consumption of high sugar diets compared to low sugar diets may promote weight gain. However, there is no such effect of natural sugar in whole foods. 2
Amount of sugar to be consumed
It is not a wise thing to cut down sugar completely as it is one of the main constituents of food. But as it is said, you can consume it by fitting it into your macros.
According to the American heart association, the recommended intake of sugar should not be more than 100 calories per day(about 6 teaspoons/24gms of sugar) for women and not more than 150 calories per day(about 9 teaspoons/36 gms of sugar) for men. 3
A good tip is to avoid products that have a lot of added sugar like beverages, desserts, sugary drinks, etc. Track your sugar intake and make it come under the dietary guidelines.
Make sure you check the nutrition label before buying any packaged food as it may contain a lot of added sugar.
Do not leave it completely as it may create a feeling of cravings and cravings lead to overeating. Thus, eat it in smaller proportions.
Sugar-free replacements
Using sugar-free cookies or diet soda may pose a risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke as the research says. Yet, there is no understanding of how it affects the body but it could put you in a state of health-related problems.4
Spotting the added sugar on a food label
This requires an analysis of the nutritional facts written on each product. The updated nutrition facts panel includes a line of ‘added sugars’ with the corresponding 10%- daily value which shows a limit of 50 gms of added sugar for the 2000 calorie intake.5
Sugar alone will not help you in weight loss
So, to come up with a conclusion, it is certainly important to limit your sugar intake but you also need to be careful about the other food you are eating.
It is never a good idea to eat a full bowl of potato chips, a full plate of rice and then blaming it on sugar. When on a diet, you must watch out for every little food that you are consuming as it is affecting you one way or the other.
Hence, enjoy sweet treats but in less and valid quantities.
Author: Mehroze Aslam
References:
1. Sugar consumption, metabolic disease and obesity: The state of the controversy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26376619/
2. Relationship between Added Sugars Consumption and Chronic Disease Risk Factors: Current Understanding: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27827899/
3. Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19704096/
4. Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardio metabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/28/E929
5. Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2016/05/20/updated-nutrition-facts-panel-makes-significant-progress-with-added-sugars-but-there-is-room-for-improvement/
