Has the sugar of the holiday season, Valentine’s Day and maybe a long winter stuck in your house become an ongoing cycle. Do you start eating sugar laden cereal with a side of sugary yogurt and sugared granola with a side of sugar packed orange juice and a vanilla latte? If so, your day most likely headed in the direction of sugar snacks in the afternoon and evening. It is addictive and a hard habit to break.

What is Sugar?

Sugar comes in so many different forms, in fact John Hopkins Medicine names 60 names for sugar categorized into three categories:

• Syrups (corn syrup, rice syrup, sorghum syrup, malt syrup, maple syrup)

• Sugars with “ose” at the end (fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose)

• Sugar in the name (raw sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar)

John Hopkins also groups other sugars together such as fruit nectars, concentrates of juices, honey, agave and molasses. 

It is the sugar added in food production that has increased our sugar intake. In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) being more harmful than sugar. Studies on HFCS have found when consuming high levels of fructose, increased abdominal fat, increased blood cholesterol and triglycerides that can lead to higher risk of obesity levels. Harvard Medical reports that HFCS has been replaced by a lot of food production companies with pure cane sugar. However, HFCS or fructose has 55 per cent in its sweetest form which is only five per cent more than cane sugar. 

The other important piece to understand is the difference between natural and processed sugars. Natural sugar is found in whole fruit and although it does increase your blood sugar it does so at a more controlled level than a glass of orange juice. Let’s take an example of the amount of sugar in a whole orange compared to a glass of orange juice. A medium orange has 10-13 grams of sugar and a 16 ounce of orange juice contains four oranges worth of sugar. The glass of orange juice has similar effects to a can of pop. 

Why Do We Crave Sugar?

Everyone gets cravings for sugar. It is perfectly normal. Carbohydrates are broken down in the body to create energy and our bodies crave sugar especially when we are lacking energy or have inadequate food to fuel our day. We crave sugar when we are tired because we aren’t getting enough sleep. Think mid afternoon when you crave sugar because your body is losing energy and needs fuel. 

Stress can also cause sugar cravings. Think about one of those weeks when stress piggy-backed until you defaulted to poor eating habits with a lot of sugar. The other key to curbing sugar cravings is hydration. If you are craving something sugary after a workout, try drinking water as it may be your body telling you that you thirsty. Drink a bottle of water first as your craving may be a sign that your body is feeling hungry or thirsty. And finally, a strict diet that limits calories significantly can make your crave sugar even more, as can using sugar as a reward or making it into a regular habit of having for example a bowl of ice cream while watching television. 

How much Sugar Do we Eat and the Importance of Reading Labels?

Sugar intake has increased dramatically in the last 200 years. Back then the average consumption was about two pounds per year compared to 152 pounds per year which equals six cups of sugar each week. The average teenage boy consumes 138 pounds per year and the primary source is soft drinks. Only about ten per cent of our calories should come from sugar as it simply empty calories. The key to limiting sugar is watching your intake of sugar beverages. A non-fat vente pumpkin spice latte has 62 grams of sugar, and an eight-ounce glass of apple juice has 24.2 grams of sugar. 

Combatting Sugar

Reading product labels before purchasing is one way of controlling the hidden sugars that we consume. When reading a nutrition label, the grams of sugar is included in the carbohydrates and includes natural sugars and added sugars. The fibre amount does not increase blood sugar levels so you can subtract the grams of fiber from the carbohydrates. 

One of the most impactful changes you can make is to reduce sugary drinks. Switch to water which is healthy, keeps you hydrated and keeps your blood sugar level in tact.

Today is your day, get moving!

About Kimberly Hicks-Ruttan
I’m the founder of Fit2Move - virtual fitness in your home, on your own time. I am a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. Connect with me on Facebook where I run a FREE group called Fit Tips with Kimberly.