It seems impossible to imagine a life without sugar, and you don’t have to do it. Although sugar brings with it many cardiovascular diseases, you don’t have to eradicate it from your diet, just moderate it.
And even more so at a time in the industry where practically everything we put in our mouths contains some ultra-processed foods.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day (for women) or nine (for men). That would translate to about 25-35 grams of sugar per day (100-150 kcal per day).
The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends a maximum of 50 grams, but preferably no more than 25 grams per day.
It sounds like a lot, but let’s change the math: a 350-gram can of the most famous caffeinated drink on the market contains about 39 grams of sugar, and other healthier foods, such as a granola bar, contain 8 grams of sugar. In the case of a blueberry Greek yogurt, 14 grams. Everything we eat is full of sugar, and the worst thing is that we don’t realize it.
Putting things into perspective will help us control our daily sugar intake, since most of the sugar we put into our bodies is not even intentional, it is hidden in cakes, sweets, juices and other processed foods.
Hidden sugar, what is it?
Sugar has several nomenclatures under which it will appear in the INCIS (list of ingredients of a product), so it will be a little more difficult for us to identify them if we are not familiar with them. – sucrose: (table sugar)
Glucose or dextrose (in processed foods)
Fructose (sugar found in fruit)
Corn syrup (high fructose, used in highly processed soft drinks)
Maltose (malt sugar, mostly found in bread and beer)
Lactose (milk sugar, usually found in dairy products)
Honey: “natural” but another form of sugar
Invert sugar (sugar that results from the breakdown of sucrose, usually in confectionery or industrial baked goods)
Agave syrup (alternative sweeteners that also contain sugar.
Have you noticed? Anything that ends in “-ose” as well as “syropes” and “endulzantes” are, for the most part, pure sugar.
How can I know if I’m eating too much sugar?
It’s very difficult to know if we’re exceeding the daily sugar intake limits. Dr. LEla Ahlemann, a specialist in nutritional medicine, indicates the possible warnings that your body offers you if you’re eating too much sugar.
Weight gain and constant hunger.
Sugar has a lot of calories, there’s no doubt about that, but sugar causes more hunger, since it increases blood glucose levels but has no satiating effect (because it has no fiber or nutrients). This hunger leads to eating more and more sweet things, which would translate into weight gain.
Acne
Sugar increases insulin and also a similar hormone called IGF-1, which stimulates the sebaceous glands and causes pimples and inflammation.
Cravings and constant mood swings.
Glucose causes relative hypoglycemia, which triggers what we know as cravings (the need to eat more), and in some people it is also reported to cause cravings.
Inflammation and a weak immune system.
The small intestine is responsible for collecting sugar from the body, but if the intake exceeds the intestine’s capacity to process it, it will end up in the large intestine. The expert points out that this causes the proliferation of endotoxins on the bacterial surface (called lipopolysaccharides), which causes them to move to the intestine when they enter the bloodstream and severely affect the immune system.
Accelerated aging.
It is scientifically proven that people who consume the most sugar are those who age the fastest, this is called “AGEs” or “Advanced Glycation End Products”, similar to the caramelization process.
It is important that, in our body, sugar does not mix with collagen, which will make the tissues more rigid and brittle.
Tips to quit sugar
Check labels to identify hidden sugars.
Use natural substitutes such as stevia.
Add more protein to your diet.
Avoid sugary drinks.
Eat whole fruit instead of juices