Food
Sweet temptations
1,555 people have taken this step
What
Sugar may be sweet, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste: too much sugar can contribute to major health issues such as obesity and diabetes, whilst its production threatens many environmentally sensitive regions.
The average person eats 66 grams of sugar a day - almost three times the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (who’d rather we limit our intake to six teaspoons or less) . Isn’t it about time we started cutting back?1
Benefits
For people
Eating too much sugar leads to weight-gain, which in turn increases your risk of various serious health conditions such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes and strokes. High blood sugar can also create what’s known as an ‘inflammatory response’, which weakens the immune system by interfering with your body cells’ immune responses.
What’s more, a major study has shown strong links between high sugar consumption and a host of mental health issues - including depression.
And let’s not forget what your mum always said - too many sweet treats will make your teeth fall out (or, at the very least, lead to some expensive dentist’s bills!).
We all know that sugar isn’t great for our body, but what about our minds? The brain is very sensitive to blood glucose levels, particularly those caused by a post-sugar binge slump.
Recent research has linked sugar consumption to all sorts of brain-related problems, including overeating, poor memory formation and learning disorders.
For planet
Sugarcane is a thirsty crop with very high water requirements, which can cause serious problems in regions that are prone to water shortages and droughts. To make matters worse, the run-off from fertilizers used to grow bigger crops, together with the industrial waste from sugar mills, is a major source of water pollution.
It takes 1,500-3,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of sugar. The WWF has identified the historical clearing of different habitats for sugarcane cultivation as one of the most significant causes of agricultural biodiversity loss on the planet. Tropical rainforests, the entire natural habitat of thousands of islands, and millions of hectares of fragile coastal wetlands around the world have been cleared to make way for sugarcane, often wiping out natural vegetation.
How
There's a heated debate about whether we can technically call sugar ‘addictive’. Either way, cutting back on sugar can seem like a daunting task...but it’s totally do-able, and worth it!
Here are a few top tips to get you started:
Check the carbs
Sugar isn’t always called ‘sugar’, and knowing how much is in a product can require a degree in food engineering. As a rough guide, look at the ‘carbohydrates as sugars’ figure on nutrition labels (this includes both natural and added sugars). Less than 5g per 100g is low, more than 22.5g per 100g is high
Most 'ose'?
Check the ingredients list for anything ending in ‘ose’ (glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose): these are all forms of sugar, and the higher up on the list they are, the more sugar the product contains.
Low fat, high sugar
Be wary of low-fat and ‘diet’ foods. Despite claiming to be good for you, these products are often high in sugar.
Whole fruit
Fruit contains a lot of natural sugars. The general advice is to eat whole fruit because it contains fibre, vitamins and minerals. However, try to get plenty of nutrition from a wide variety of vegetables, including leafy greens.
Snack better
We often eat sugar because we feel hungry, but sugar famously doesn’t fill you up. Instead, snack on protein-rich, good fats like nuts, avocados and natural yoghurt. Not only do these provide nutrients, essential fats and amino acids, they’ll make you feel fuller for longer, all while having a minimal impact on your blood glucose levels
Sugar companions
When you do consume sweeter or high carbohydrate foods, try to pair them with things like with fibre and protein, like nuts and cheese. This will reduce the spike in blood sugar as you metabolise the food.
App attack
There are lots of apps out there that will help you understand and monitor your daily sugar consumption. For example, the NHS’s Change4Life Food Scanner app uses bar-code scanning to show you how much sugar is in your potential purchases
Treats, fair and square
And finally, when the time comes to have that special sugary treat, make sure to choose something that uses Fair Trade sugar. That way, your purchase is helping support sustainable growing practices and fair treatment of workers. All the more delicious, right?
