CALGARY – A growing body of research is warning about the dangers of sugar.
Too much of the white stuff has been linked to obesity, diabetes and most recently heart disease.
Calgary moms Kyla Vieweger and Meagan Marriot say they’ve had enough.
“Because it’s hidden in everything, I felt like I wasn’t actually in control of what I was feeding the family every day, and I wanted to stop that,” says Marriot
She and Vieweger decided to start challenging themselves to make changes in their lives every month. They launched a blog called Deconstruct the Yuck, and this month they are writing about their sugar challenge.
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“February is called ‘sugar rehab’ so we’ve committed to having no refined sugar of any type for the entire month,” explains Vieweger.
Cutting back sugar is important, but not always easy.
“What I generally recommend is try to keep it within 10 per cent of your current caloric intake,” says Dietitian Lindy Kennedy. “If we’re looking at a 2000 calorie a day intake, the average intake for added sugar would be about 200 calories.”
Kennedy says not to worry about the sugar content in things like whole fruits, vegetables and dairy products and to instead focus on packaged, processed foods.
When reading labels check the first 5 ingredients listed. If the ingredient contains the word “sugar”, “syrup” or any word ending in “-0se”, it’s probably a bad choice. Next check the nutrition panel for the product’s overall sugar content. People who consume 2000 calories a day should aim for no more than 50 grams of added sugar each day.
As for so-called healthier forms of sugar like honey, sucanat or coconut sugar? Kennedy says don’t be fooled by trends, “Nutritionally it’s all the same, it’s a carbohydrate, it’s simple sugars. They’re basically the same and they provide the same caloric value.”
People who cut back on sugar can sometimes experience headaches or other symptoms of withdrawal and cravings can also be a challenge.
To fight back, Kennedy says fill up on nutrient dense whole foods and make sure you’re getting enough carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats.
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