The sweet truth

Following on from yesterdays blog I want to spend the next few blogs sharing the dietary recommendations derived from the results of the 100% Health survey.

These recommendations aren't based on what nutritional science says we should be eating, but purely on what correlates between the health of those surveyed and their diets. However these results sit comfortably within the current nutritional wisdom.

One of the key recommendations is to eliminate, or limit to occasional use, sugar-based snacks such as chocolate, cake, cereal bars and biscuits, with 65% of those eating at least 3 sugar-based snacks per day being in poor or very poor health, and only 2% being in optimum health. The survey also recommended avoiding adding sugar to any food or drinks.

This finding and recommendations don't surprise me at all, for some time I have subscribed to the idea that sugar is more harmful to healthy than saturated fats, and the evidence to back up this view is mounting up. High sugar intake has been linked to heart disease, ageing, osteoporosis, hormonal imbalances, deterioration of eyesight and digestive complaints as well as diabetes and obesity. It is a combination of sugar and fats that is seriously bad for your health, rather than a high fat intake alone. However for some reason dietary sugar intake remains fairly high.

One reason for this is that most people just don't realise how much of their food contains added sugar and clients who have to go sugar free often express their surprise and horror when they realise that they have to avoid most of their regular food and drink.

I think it is an extremely valuable exercise for everyone to try and do one week without added sugar in their diet. Read the labels on everything you buy, even foods you really don't think will have sugar in such as gravy powder, soya sauce, crisps, savoury pies and vinaigrette. Avoid all the following ingredients and you'll soon realise how much sugar you've been eating, but hopefully also reap the benefits of cutting it out:

Sugar
Maltodextrin
Dextrose
Maltose
Lactose
Glucose
Glucose-fructose syrup
Corn syrup
Rice syrup (pretty much anything followed by 'syrup' is an added sugar)
Maltose
Honey

ps. fructose is sometimes added to foods instead of glucose, but I see this as a less harmful alternative (it is lower GI than the other sugars) so I don't avoid it entirely
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