Where sugar is hidden in food
Sugar, because of its ability to turn into fat, when it is ingested and not used as energy, has become the new workhorse of healthy eating. The World Health Organization is emphatic in its latest statement: we must reduce the consumption of sugar to six teaspoons daily. This is easy, if we talk about the amount used in sweetening coffees and infusions, but very complicated if it is to calculate how much sugar we consume through food.
If we want to heed the recommendations of the health authorities we must eliminate all the pastries, sweets and sweets from our diet. Products that, although it might seem otherwise, are not only consumed in a majority by the children, but also by adults.
Large and small take, also, ice cream and sugary soda, products that formerly consumed exceptionally, while today they are part of the daily diet. To them the expert attributes much fault of the indexes of obesity and of the bad indicators of health not only in the industrialized countries but throughout the world.
Tips to know where sugar is hidden in food
A new book Baby Sugar, of Dr. Ata Pouramini, an illustrated story in which parents and children are taught to recognize the hidden sugar in food and help us, with these tips, not to exceed these famous six teaspoons recommended by the WHO, about 25 grams .
1. Let's not overlook the expression "added sugars". We have become accustomed to it and includes a series of substances clearly harmful to cardiovascular health. We are talking about fructose, corn syrup, other syrups, agave and honey.
2. Beware of canned fruit. Let's place in the shopping cart the one that is preserved in its own juice. Otherwise it will be in syrup, with all the calories and negative effects of this product.
3. The natural fruit, necessary and beneficial, also has a lot of sugar, that can harm people with a tendency to diabetes. Therefore, banana, mango and watermelon, with excellent properties, should be relegated to the last position on the list, if sugar is involved.
4. The sugar present in complex hydrates It is assimilated more slowly in the blood, without producing those ups and downs of insulin, which lead to chop between hours and to have mood swings. We talk about daily food such as cereals, rice and pasta. Substituting them for other integrals we will gain health.
5. Sugar is present in 20% of the composition of cigarettes. Hence, apart from the anxiety of endowing the organism with a constant reward, we need the sweet when we stop smoking. Watch out.
Children are the real victims of poor diet and warnings from health authorities, it is important to note that industrial sugar is camouflaged in "fake healthy foods," such as juices and packaged fruit smoothies.
Mamen de Blas
Advice: Ata Pouramini. Nutrition expert and chiropractor.
