Yesterday I talked about why sugar is so bad for you. Obviously it is not possible for everyone to cut out all sugar forever, so how much should we have?
There is some disagreement among health professionals and campaigners about exactly how much sugar people should be having. The common guidelines are that 10% of our daily calorie intake be from sugar. In real terms, this means:
Children – 3 - 4 teaspoons per day
Women – up to 5 teaspoons per day
Men – up to 8 teaspoons per day
One can of coke contains 6 teaspoons of sugar. More than the daily recommended intakes for women and children!
To put this into context lets look at a day in the life of our children’s meals:
That’s 28 teaspoons of sugar in one day!
Looking at that information, it seems like too much of a challenge. I was overwhelmed when I started realizing how much sugar my children and I are consuming. It’s simply too much. Even if I halved the amount of sugar they are eating to 14 teaspoons it’s still over 3 times too much.
If you are starting to think through these issues, please read back through yesterday’s post and today’s post. It will give you motivation! I was reading an article today about how sugar is linked with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Some of the information I am finding is truly worrying. But, I am becoming ever more convinced that we as a family need to make some changes.
Update, I have a slight headache this evening, but went all day without one – thank goodness! Just for those of you who are considering a sugar fast, the headaches were never so bad that I couldn’t go about my normal day, and I didn’t take anything for them, so not very bad, just a dull ache. I cooked sausages for tea with a big serving of vegetables, when I took a bite I couldn’t believe how sweet it was. I took a look at the ingredients and it contained both sugar and honey – I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t eat the rest, and honestly it just didn’t taste nice. We’ve had them before, and I’ve never noticed it – I think when this is over I will far more sensitive to sugar than I was before.
See you all tomorrow x
There is some disagreement among health professionals and campaigners about exactly how much sugar people should be having. The common guidelines are that 10% of our daily calorie intake be from sugar. In real terms, this means:
Children – 3 - 4 teaspoons per day
Women – up to 5 teaspoons per day
Men – up to 8 teaspoons per day
One can of coke contains 6 teaspoons of sugar. More than the daily recommended intakes for women and children!
To put this into context lets look at a day in the life of our children’s meals:
- One bowl of Frosties with semi-skimmed milk = 5 teaspoons
- One small glass of undiluted apple fruit juice = 5 teaspoons
- Half a tin of Heinz Tomato Soup = 2 teaspoons
- Two slices of white bread = 1 teaspoon
- 1 large serving of grapes = 5 teaspoons
- 1 serving of pasta with Ragu sauce = 3 teaspoons
- Apple Pie with Custard = 7 teaspoons
That’s 28 teaspoons of sugar in one day!
Looking at that information, it seems like too much of a challenge. I was overwhelmed when I started realizing how much sugar my children and I are consuming. It’s simply too much. Even if I halved the amount of sugar they are eating to 14 teaspoons it’s still over 3 times too much.
If you are starting to think through these issues, please read back through yesterday’s post and today’s post. It will give you motivation! I was reading an article today about how sugar is linked with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Some of the information I am finding is truly worrying. But, I am becoming ever more convinced that we as a family need to make some changes.
Update, I have a slight headache this evening, but went all day without one – thank goodness! Just for those of you who are considering a sugar fast, the headaches were never so bad that I couldn’t go about my normal day, and I didn’t take anything for them, so not very bad, just a dull ache. I cooked sausages for tea with a big serving of vegetables, when I took a bite I couldn’t believe how sweet it was. I took a look at the ingredients and it contained both sugar and honey – I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t eat the rest, and honestly it just didn’t taste nice. We’ve had them before, and I’ve never noticed it – I think when this is over I will far more sensitive to sugar than I was before.
See you all tomorrow x