Is cutting out a sugar
a healthy goal ?
No.
In fact, you can eat well without it. Many very healthy foods (milk, fruits, vegetables,
and grains ) contain natural sugars, and sugar is added to many processed foods that it's
virtually impossibly to avoid. There's no reason to be super-strict about your sugar
intake, unless you have a metabolic disorder such as diabetes or hypoglycemia.
Will sugar make you fat ?
By itself, sugar has just four calories per gram- no more than other
carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta and bread. But sugar is often found in high-fat
sweets, like ice creams, doughnuts and chocolate. The combination of fat and sugar is very
tasty-and very calorophic. You can easily eat more than you need and gain weight. A good rule
for reining in sweets in take : As long as most of your calories come from nutritious
foods, about 20 percent can come from less vitamin-packed choices ( like desserts ).
Are there health risks from high sugar
diet?
The one proven hazard is tooth decay
(especially if you eat sugary foods that stick to your teeth). Contrary to what you may
have heard, sugar does not cause hypoglycemia, heart disease, Type II -- Diabetes--or
hyperactivity in children. |
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Why do you crave
something sweet after a meal ?
It's partly because of habit you're accustomed to having dessert - and partly
because of an inborn mechanism that helps ensure that we eat a variety of foods. After
you've eaten a meal of salty or savory foods, you tire of those flavors. They no longer
stimulate the pleasure centers in your brain, researchers theorize. But a contrasting
flavor will.
Will you really get a sugar high from
eating a bag of jelly beans ?
Surprise- the sugar high is largely a myth. When you eat a food that's primarily
sugar, such as jelly beans or even a glass of orange juice, your blood sugar peaks in
about 15 to 30 minutes faster than if you had eaten a food that also contained fat,
proteins or fibers.
Aren't natural sweeteners like fruit
juice concentrates better choices than regular sugar ?
No.
Cookies and jams labeled "sweetened with fruit juice" sounds healthier, but
they're no better for you. When fruit juice is concentrated and used as a sweetener, its
desirability nutritional components are stripped away- what's left is sugar.
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