How are you all? I hope that you have all had a great festive season and are ready to start the new year on a positive note. I thought that we'd have a little chat about
DIET foods - in particular 'sugar'. I will write another post in regard to fats further down the track.
Now you're probably wondering, 'what is she talking about? Of course they're great!' Well in theory yes they are, and I suppose when originally created it was done for the right reasons; but the reality is NO. They aren't.
I remember when these diet products first came out, I had just started studying nursing and I thought WOW, this is great for those who are diabetic. As this allowed them to have those things which they were told they couldn't eat, such as lollies, soft drinks, jam and other high sugar-containing products. BUT... the key here was to eat things in moderation and maintaining the same serving sizes.
What do I mean?
A glass of soft drink means 250ml, not 500ml or 700ml. And maybe keep it to 1 per day. Not like what most people do, have 600ml 2-3 per day, along with a diet yoghurt, sugar free biscuits with a tea/coffee with 1-2 artifical sweeteners!!
Can any of you see where I'm going with this?
All of these diet products do not teach you the meaning of moderation and portion control. Or that sweet foods are a sometimes food, especially if you are diabetic. Most people see it as a free pass to eat and drink to your heart's content of diet or, sugar-free foods.
Sugar Free
Now this is something that really gets me annoyed. As many do not ask the question,
if it is sugar free then how is it sweet?
Well, the answer is - it either has a natural sweetner such a rice bran syrup, barley malt, monk fruit, etc. Or, it has added sweetenersartificial sweetener such as aspartame, saccharin or Acesulfame K. And as most of you should know, anything artifical in the world of food, is generally not good for you.
So why would you eat something that over time can cause health issues?
And even if you are having something that has a natural sweetener, such as honey which could be considered more nutritious, it will still have an impact on your blood sugar levels! So moderation and portion control is needed.
I always question, how or why is it sweet? If possible, read the label of ingredients. Some of these sweeters are listed as numbers, so you need to become familiar with what they are. For example
acesulfame-potassium(k) 950
aspartame E951
saccharin 954
sucralose 955
I always say, when it comes to having the occassional soft drink, "I'll have the full leaded version".
What are your thoughts??
If you have any health issues consult your doctor for medical advice. I am here to support you with your food, nutritional and wellbeing concerns.
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