Control Sugar Intake – How Much Is Too Much?
Unless you are living in a closet, everyone knows obesity is at an all time high. One of the major causes is peoples intake on sugar. Not just through eating candy, but drinking sodas and energy drinks with high sugar counts, taking in high fructose corn syrup. Several health risks come from not being able to control sugar intake on a daily basis including diabetes, daily crashes, depression, even heart disease. Below you will find information and ways to control sugar intake.
- Know the amount of daily recommendations. The American Heart Association recommends no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance come from added sugars. (Your daily discretionary calorie allowance consists of calories available after meeting nutrient needs.) This is no more than 100 calories per day for most American women and no more than 150 per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men).
- Know what you are putting in your body. I understand reading labels may seem boring and not too sexy but with all the ways manufactures sneak in added sugars these days, it very important to do so in aiding yourself to control sugar intake. Don’t just read the “Sugars” grams amount. Look for words like dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, glucose, sucrose. You can check more names for sugars at this article on Huffington Post.
- Go Natural Over Added. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk and fruits. Added sugars offer no nutritional benefits whatsoever. On the other hand, fruit – while it can have a high amount of fructose, since it’s natural you’d need to eat large amount on a daily basis for it to hit dangerous levels. fruit also contains antioxidants and fiber which are huge pluses, not just for your body but also in helping control sugar intake.
- Know what’s in your drink. The best thing you can do for your body is drink a minimum of 8 cups of water a day. I realize it may be boring but it not only helps with hydration, it will keep you from crashing the way a high sugar, fructose added energy drink will. If you are going to drink a soda or energy drink, read the label. Watch out for “ose” words mentioned above. Try sticking to black coffee and unsweetened tea. Make natural water with fresh fruits to add flavor but avoid added sugar. These drinks will add flavor and assist you to control sugar intake.
- Track your sugar on a daily basis with a journal. One of the easiest ways to control sugar intake is by writing down your amounts in a daily journal. Like tracking any food intake, at first it may seem like a pain but after a month it will become second nature to you. Plus when you see results in weight loss, you’ll get really motivated. After 6 months to a year, you will have everything locked in your brain so you more than likely won’t need to journal anymore.
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