It probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise to the general population that eating refined sugar causes weight gain and is one of the culprits to the rising obesity numbers. You probably would agree that a sugar diet of eating cookies, doughnuts, candies, ice cream, and drinking soda isn’t a nutritional recipe for being slim and trim. However, are there hidden sugars (Wolves) that we aren’t even paying attention to that provide us with the same result as the aforementioned sugar diet.
Let’s take a closer look at the foods we eat. Next time you are at the grocery store look at the nutrition label on the back of products. The following words are various forms of sugar:
- High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Corn Sweetener, Dextrose, Dextrin, Dehydrated Cane Juice, Fructose, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Maltose, Maltodextrin, Malt Syrup, Glucose, Honey, Lactose, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Raw Sugar, Rice Syrup, Saccharose, Sucrose, Xylose, Turbinado Sugar, Syrup
Now let’s ask ourselves how many foods or even “Health foods” are we eating or feeding our kids that have “Sugar” or its cousins as the first or second ingredient. We may want to look at other alternatives.
Many of us have experienced or watched our children experience a sugar high from eating too much candy at Halloween time or after attending a birthday party. Probably OK on limited occassions, but we wouldn’t want our kids to eat that stuff all the time, they would be bouncing off the walls. Not only do we find high sugar content in the foods we eat, they are also found in the liquids we drink.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the liquids we drink. Did you know that the common soda, some fruit drinks and some health and sport drinks contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in each 8 ounce serving. That is equivalent to taking an 8 ounce glass of water, pouring 10 teaspoons of sugar into it, stirring it up and drinking it. Would we do that at home to satisfy our thirst? To make matters worse, we go to our local gas station and buy a 32, 44, or 64 ounce special loaded with sugar (this is myweekend sabotage that I am working on changing). No wonder the obesity numbers continue to rise.
What can we do? Awareness is the first part and hopefully this post has been helpful. Committing to making healthier choices is the second part – try using Agave Nectar or Stevia as a sugar alternative. Finally, being consistent with our choices going forward will help us become healthier and teach our kids by example the importance of good nutrition.
P.S. Please feel free to share this with your friends and family who you feel might benefit from this information.
Medical Advice Disclaimer
The information included in this blog post and on this site are for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physical therapist-patient relationship.
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