The Love of Sugar

White sugar, the staple of Western diets, is found naturally in many foods, such as honey, fruit and milk. It’s added to a variety of food items such as cakes, sweets and chocolate, and is also ‘hidden’ amongst things like tinned vegetables, cereals and pasta sauces too.

The problem is that within the UK, most adults and children eat too much of it. Is it possible to live without so much sugar?

It’s important for us to keep an eye on how much we’re eating, because sugar often goes hand in hand with high fat products such as doughnuts and biscuits. If we consume a high-fat diet, we gain weight, and if we gain weight, this leads to obesity, which increases your risk of health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Too much sugar is also bad for your teeth, as it leads to Tooth Decay.

The simple reality is that almost all of us need to cut down on the amount of sugar we eat. There are steps we should take to start spotting hidden sugar - getting into the habit of reading the nutritional information listed on food is a good idea. Look for the 'Carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure - 10g or more of sugar per 100g is a lot and 2g or less is a little.

Above all though, cut down on sugar by using it sparingly, save sugary snacks for a special treat, and read food labels before you buy. Finally, make some proactive changes that will make your diet ‘healthier’ whilst still remaining sweet.

1. Don’t sprinkle sugar on your breakfast cereal and look for sugar-free, wholegrain cereals. Instead why not add chopped fresh or dried fruit for extra sweetness?

2. Cut down on the amount of sugary drinks you have, dilute fruit juice (which is high in natural sugar), and make weak squash using sugar-free concentrate. If you like fizzy drinks why not mix some fizzy water with fruit juice instead?

3. Swap cakes and biscuits for malt loaf, sugar-free cereal bars, scones or a currant bun. Malt is a natural sweetener that contains more vitamins and minerals than sugar.

4. Choose sugar-free jams, and try having chopped banana or low-fat cream cheese on your toast, rather than marmalade or chocolate spread.

5. Choose tinned pulses and vegetables without added sugar, and when choosing tinned-fruit, choose the one in juice rather than syrup.

6. Perhaps the hardest one, but if you have sugar in your tea or coffee, try weaning yourself off it gradually until you can manage without!






Michael Shaw
ChristianToday Medical Correspondent