When we hear the word sugar, we automatically think of the white granules that we add to our coffee or tea in the morning.
We think of it as the enemy, the disease bringer, the fat-causing substance, and yes this can be true when consumed daily in extremely large quantities but what we are overlooking is the sugar present in our food that does not look like the white granules, these are the “hidden” sugars. These hidden sugars, also called added sugars, maybe having more of an impact than you realize. These sugars can go by other names such as maltose, raw sugar, brown sugar, molasses, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, and dextrose to name a few.
We don’t realize that sugar is added to so many foods and we are unknowingly consuming them every day. These food products can include pasta sauces, curry sauces, juices, canned fruit, canned baked beans, cereals, muesli bars, pastries, dried fruits, yogurts, and condiments such as BBQ sauce.
When we consume foods that are high in sugar and if we do not utilize the energy it is providing then it will get stored as fat. Sugar is a nutrient-poor food, meaning it does not contain much nutrition in terms of vitamins, minerals, or fiber, so it goes straight to your thighs, belly, or arms and while it makes its way there can cause inflammation of the intestinal walls and over-work the insulin glucose regulation.
If you have been eating foods that contain a lot of added sugars daily and you decide to switch brands or not eat that food altogether, you would lose weight.
Next time you go shopping before you buy your favorite foods, read the labels, look for those added sugars and see how it compares to other brands. Always go for the items that have no added sugar or very little.
To help you make this choice lookout for the word sugar in the ingredients list and if it appears as one of the first three items, then it is present in large quantities and should be avoided. But if it appears in the end then it is present in a low quantity and therefore a better choice.
Written by Ana dos Santos