Do you know that a bottle of soft drink has an average seven spoons(teaspoon) of sugar? Even chocolate bars, some creamy biscuits, fruit drinks and cakes have a large proportion of sugar added to it. Most of take soft drinks regularly without knowing the negative implication on our health. Sugar, according to research has a strong link to heart diseases,obesity and surprisingly cancer. It has been linked to high blood pressure and low brain functionality
How Dangerous is Sugar?
Of course the temptation of resisting high sugar consumption especially in children is quite difficult. But it has to be done in order to help prevent obesity. A 2013 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggested that consumption of sugar-filled beverages increases weight gain in both children and adults. World Health Organization (WHO) also supported this view in their article.
Many forms of sugar like glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose and sucrose(table sugar) exist.
These sugar occur naturally in our food especially carbohydrate, vegetable and fruits. These sugars are not harmful but added sugar could be unhealthy. A research shows that consuming even recommended level of added sugar could be harmful. Last month, MNT reported that added sugars may increase the risk of high blood pressure, even more than sodium. And in February 2014, a study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also saw that high sugar causes increased death from heart diseases.
World Health Organization state we should consume no more than 10% of total daily calories from "free" sugars - both naturally occurring sugars and those that are added to products by the manufacturer. They have further recommended 5% of sugar daily consumption! Sugar leads to tooth decay.
Artificial sweeteners - including saccharin, sucralose and aspartame interfere with gut bacteria, increasing obesity and diabetes. They found long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners was associated with increased weight, abdominal obesity, higher fasting blood glucose.
Alternative to Sugar Consumption The American Heart Association (AHA) - who recommend women should consume at most 6 teaspoons and men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons a day suggest that we:
* Cut back on the amount of sugar you may regularly add to foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, cereal and pancakes
*Replace sugar-sweetened beverages with sugar-free or low-calorie drinks
*Compare food labels and select the products with the lowest amounts of added sugars
*When baking cakes, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe by a third
*Try replacing sugar in recipes with extracts or spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, almond or vanilla
*Replace sugar on cereal or oatmeal with fruit.
Honey
It is really a nice alternative. It is filled with vitamins and has antimicrobial properties. It has 80% natural sugar, 18% water and 2% minerals, vitamins, pollen and protein. It has high energy content. Though a large consumption is not necessary
Coconut Sugar
It is produced from the sap of the coconut palm's flower buds, coconut palm
sugar has a glycaemic index rating of 35, much lower than refined
sugar.It has also been found to contain amino acids, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron and B vitamins.
Fruits
Try natural fruits such as apple, banana. Apple is very rich in fiber which aids in digestion. Other alternatives are
Molasses,
Agave Syrup,
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