Sugar Shock-The Lowdown on Sugar and Sweeteners on Breakfast Television

Sugar,  Substitutes and HFCS: What’s Healthier?

 
  • Average person consume 130 lb sugar yearly  =  10 lb per month
  • Daily =  30 tsp vs 8 tsp recommended
 

Typical sugar amounts:

 
 

Beverages:

  • Movie theatre cola = 35 tsp sugar
  • DQ vanilla shake –= 31 tsp
  • Tim Hortons extra large double double =  9 tsp
 

Breakfast:

  • Yogurt = 7 ½ tsp
  • Nutella = 3 tbsp  – 7 ½ tsp
  • Fruit Loops / frosted flakes  = 1 ½ cups or 6 tsp
  • Craisins = ½ cup or 9 tsp
  • Cinnabon = 19 tsp
  • Skittles = 1/3 cup or 11 tsp
 

Substitutes(natural or processed)

 
 

Avoid healthy sounding sugars (halo)  as a substitute  – all boost sugar levels and give the same signals to the body / none have major nutrients in small amounts.

 
  • Turns off your body’s appetite-control system/ doesn’t suppress hunger and doesn’t let you know when you’re full
  • White sugar –  stripped of brown sugar
  • Brown sugar (molasses) – scarcely more nutrients
  • Evaporated cane syrup (sugar with water removed) – processed slightly less
  • Agave – controversy / doesn’t cause blood sugar rises (low Glycemic index) but higher in fructose more than HFCS and can cause liver damage and insulin resistance = diabetes.
 

Safest Sugar Substitutes

 
 
  • Black strap molasses –  iron, potassium, calcium
  • Honey – fructose but antioxidants, darker = more nutrients
  • Stevia (truvia) – 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar/  leaves of  the stevia plant / no longer bitter / uses sweetest part of plant  /doesn’t cause sugar spike / best in beverages
  • Maple syrup – more nutrients than honey
 

Warning: High Fructose Corn Syrup

 
 
  • HFCS  – fructose spikes blood sugar quicker / converted to fat by liver / tells body to cling to fat
  • Processed / commercial foods / cheaper / shelf life / better taste /
  • Used as a sweetener and preservative
  • Corn refiners association wants to change name to “corn sugar”
 

Other sweeteners:

 
 
  • Approved to reduce calories / weight loss
  • Problem = tricks body to think more calories coming = more food
  • Sweet and Low saccharin
  • Splenda (sucralose) – soft drinks / candy / frozen desserts / home cooking
  • Sugar twin – cyclamate
 
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