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Sugar, Sugar Written by Madeline Engelking, Dietetic student at Miami University

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on June 27, 2016

 Sugar, Sugar

Written by Madeline Engelking, Dietetic student at Miami University

Fructose, sucrose, galactose to name a few. They probably sound familiar to you considering they have been added to many of our store bought products. Oh, and did I mention corn syrup, cane sugar, brown sugar? So, you get it, the list of added sugars in our food is endless, and this is not good.

The FDA finally came out with a new nutrition label that highlights the amount of added sugars, along with some other changes. Why is this being added now? Actually, we should have started paying attention a lot sooner, especially since excess sugar is one of the main culprits of obesity. When we eat foods with sugar, our blood sugar rises, and then after time, we have a sugar crash when our blood sugar is too low. What do we do when we feel this this? We crave for more and more sugar to get that energy back! The result? A vicious cycle of high and low glucose levels, aka returning to the kitchen for more and more food, hence, weight gain.

Do you remember that “Eggcellent” article on the importance of eating healthy fats?  Fats are brought here because they do the exact opposite of what sugar does to our bodies. Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, and coconut all have little to no effect on our blood sugars. Therefore, eating fats help keep our blood sugar stable and prevents us from eating more because no sugar crash exists. Amazing!

Next time you pick up a product at the grocery store come July of 2018, check out the added sugars component on the label. Anything less than 5% daily value is low in added sugars, and more than 20% daily values is high (avoid!)

That date is a little far away, so learn to skip the sugar now with these few tips:

• Oatmeal with nuts and fruit over sugary cereal and granola bars.
• Plain Greek yogurt over non-fat, flavored products, loaded with sugar.
• Soda water with a lime and a splash of fruit juice over soda pop.
• Olive oil, lemon and vinegar over store bought dressings.
• Add vanilla or cocoa powder, and zesty citrus over sugar.
• Bake with dates and bananas over confectioner sugar.  
• 80% Cacao dark chocolate over milk chocolate.

Want to be the A+ student?  Just eat wholesome foods that don’t require a label!

Photo Source:

8 Tips to Reduce Sugar Intake. (2016, January 17). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from http://www.thecandidadiet.com/tips-to-reduce-your-sugar-intake/