Average Daily Sugar Intake
Sugar is basically the fuel that provides energy for our body. However, our body does not need the amount of sugar that we normally consume in our meals and snacks. When digested, sugar and other sweets present in candies, snack bars, honey and fruits have components that become glucose that serves as fuel our body needs to survive. Starches present in foodstuff such as bread and rice are also broken down into sugar during digestion before they are converted into glucose. However, starch can also be used to produce fats. If you eat both sugary and starchy foods, your body will first use the sugar for its energy requirements and store the starch that the body may convert into fats. If you are trying to control or lose weight, it is important that you regulate your average daily sugar intake to avoid obesity.
Nutritional experts now believe that added sugar in refined carbohydrates such as pasta, white bread and cereals cause a sharp increase in blood sugar and contribute to the impairment of the pancreatic insulin function that may trigger diabetes. Moreover, replacing healthy high fiber foods such as fruits, whole grains and vegetables with sugary foods indirectly contributes to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, premature aging, tooth decay and even cancer. While there is no recommended daily allowance for sugar, nutritionists believe that the average person who consumes a normal amount of 2,000 calories and also ingests about 34 teaspoons of additional sugar per day should limit themselves to an average daily sugar intake of around 10 teaspoons for adults and 18 teaspoons for teenage males.
It is difficult to cut down on personal sugar consumption because of its presence in many foods such as cakes, pastries, candy bars, chewing gum, ice cream, yogurts, soft drinks and even in medicines such as cough syrup. Cutting down on your average daily sugar intake begins with knowing the other names that sugar goes by in food package labels. Sugar in a label ingredient list may sometimes be referred to as glucose, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose and corn syrup. Packaged food with any four of these derivatives has high sugar content.
Buy diet sodas, artificial coffee sweeteners and sugar free brands of your favorite pastries, chocolates and diet sodas to enable you to lower your average daily sugar intake that would have the effect of gradually reducing your sugar craving. Eat food during mealtimes. Skipping meals lowers your blood sugar levels and cause a sugar craving. A frequent quick fix to satisfy that sugar craving increases the risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia. At this day and age of sugar-saturated diets, weaning yourself away from sugar goes a long way towards a healthier, stronger and more beautiful body.
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