Watch the sugar!

 

Consider this:

 

The average Australian consumes a staggering 50 kilograms of sugar a year!!!

 

When you consider that those 50 kilograms equate to 200,000 calories (or 839,800 kilojoules) it's not hard to see that sugar consumption, along with fat, is a major contributor to the nation's overweight and obesity problem. A diet high in sugar also contributes to health problems like osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer and heart disease - not to mention tooth decay!

 

The health focus on reducing dietary fat opened up a whole new market for food manufacturers. Every supermarket food aisle now contains something that is labelled "fat-free" this or "% fat-free" that, and almost every grocery product is now available in a fat modified version. Some manufacturers have even started displaying "fat-free" on products that have never contained a gram of fat anyway!!

 

The biggest growth of "% fat-free" food was in the snack food area. The low-fat products on offer became a dieters dream; guilt-free ice cream, dips, cakes, biscuits, Muesli bars........ the list goes on. The truth is "junk" food with a fat-free label is still junk! This fixation with commercial fat-free food has led many people to forget about calories. YES, calories still count! While we have lowered our consumption of fat, our total calorie consumption is up, and consequently, so is our weight! This has led everyone to start looking for a new diet plan - hence the appearance and popularity of the high protein diets.

 

What many people don't realise is that most of these substitute products are hardly non-caloric and are equally as fattening as they have large amounts of extra sugar added to compensate for the flavour, texture and volume that fat would normally provide. Sugar is used because it is fat-free, tasty and a cheap filler. A "fat-free"product does not mean it's "bodyfat-free." Any fat-free food that contains more sugars (simple carbohydrates) than you can burn, will be converted to bodyfat, in fact your body will make bodyfat from almost any nutrients consumed in excess.

 

The real idea behind a low-fat diet (and perhaps this should have been promoted to the public more effectively) was to increase consumption of naturally low-fat, low-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables and wholegrains. Instead however, people began tucking into the highly processed foods loaded with added sugars and refined starches and carbohydrates that offered very little nutrition - but loads of calories! Basically, people began substituting the fat with sugar, convinced that if the "diet" cup-cake had little or no fat in it, then it wouldn't make you fat - and so they would eat the whole box instead of just having one!

 

We must still watch and limit our fat intake, particularly the saturated and processed fats, but we also need to understand where these sugars and highly refined carbohydrates occur - or are carefully hidden!

 

So keep an eye on:

 

What you buy

• Check the "total carbohydrate" to see how much sugar or starch has been added to compensate for less fat.
• Divide the number of sugar grams in a serve by four - a teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams - this is the number of teaspoons of sugar you are consuming in every serve. One popular "97% fat-free" cake mix brand I studied contains an incredible 10.63 teaspoons in one slice of cake when prepared as directed!
• Some low - or fat-free foods are also only low in fat and calories because the figures are based on very small serving sizes. Check the serving size and be honest with yourself - how much will you really eat?
• Watch for sugars that may be listed as dextrose, maltose, glucose, lactose, fructose,corn syrup, sorbitol, mannitol or treacle - and brown sugar is no different to white sugar as far as the body is concerned.

What you eat and drink

• Reduce the amount of processed carbohydrates you consume. This includes white bread, white pasta and white rice. Opt for wholegrain breads, wholemeal pastas and brown rice as often as possible.
• Try to stop adding sugar to your cereal, coffee, tea and drinks.
• Fruit juice and dried fruits are still healthy foods, but they are both highly concentrated in sugar and therefore calories. Many fruit juices also contain added sugar. Limit their intake and opt for a whole piece of fresh fruit instead which will also provide you with some good fibre.
• Sugar is also included in many products like chutneys, jams, cereals and canned foods. Carbonated soft drinks and cordials are not much more than liquid lollies. Ice blocks and alcohol, are also major sources of sugar.
• Lower your consumption of foods high in fat, like red meat, luncheon meats, whole milk, cheese, potato chips, pastries, commercial cakes, biscuits and ice cream.
• Many foods that contain lots of fat also contain lots of sugar: biscuits, cakes, donuts, pastries, Muesli bars, ice cream.
• Eliminate the junk food, the empty calories and the excess simple and refined carbohydrates - fat-free or not! The less processed the food, the better. Natural "real" foods contain more nutrients and less sugar and fat. Turn to a low fat apple instead!
• Use low-fat or fat-free substitute products like skim milk, diet yoghurt, low-fat cheese, low-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings, but look for the sugar-free varieties.

How you cook

• Alter your cooking techniques as well as the food you eat. Start sautéing, grilling, roasting, microwaving, poaching, boiling, instead of frying.

How you move

• Remember: there is no diet on earth that is healthy unless it is accompanied by exercise - so get moving!