Sugar, Sugar, SUGAR!

The average American consumes 153 lbs of sugar each year….YIKES!

So, how much sugar should we have each day?

>3 servings of fruit each day
>sweets in moderation/limited
>40 grams or less of ADDED sugar/ day

Wait…if fruit has sugar, does that mean I shouldn’t eat it?

>No!!! Fruit is one of the healthiest things we can eat! Make sure to consume 3 servings per day! Fruit has vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

>Studies suggest that those who consume fruit as part of their normal diet (diet here means dietary intake….not diet as we tend to think of it) actually crave sugar less.

Look for sugar in the ingredient list. As a general rule, sugar should not be listed in the first five ingredients. Be careful though, because sugar has many names. Anything that ends in “-ose” is a form of sugar (i.e. fructose, sucrose). Sugar hides under many other names. Here is a list of names for sugar:

1. Barley malt
2. Beet sugar
3. Brown sugar
4. Buttered syrup
5. Cane juice crystals
6. Cane sugar
7. Caramel
8. Corn syrup
9. Corn syrup solids
10. Confectioner’s sugar
11. Carob syrup
12. Castor sugar
13. Date sugar
14. Demerara sugar
15. Dextran
16. Dextrose
17. Diastatic malt
18. Diatase
19. Ethyl maltol
20. Fructose
21. Fruit juice
22. Fruit juice concentrate
23. Galactose
24. Glucose
25. Glucose solids
26. Golden sugar
27. Golden syrup
28. Grape sugar
29. High-fructose corn syrup
30. Honey
31. Icing sugar
32. Invert sugar
33. Lactose
34. Maltodextrin
35. Maltose
36. Malt syrup
37. Maple syrup
38. Molasses
39. Muscovado sugar
40. Panocha
41. Raw sugar
42. Refiner’s syrup
43. Rice syrup
44. Sorbitol
45. Sorghum syrup
46. Sucrose
47. Sugar
48. Treacle
49. Turbinado sugar
50. Yellow sugar

Benefits of Healthy Snacking

And the results are in! Snacking in between meals is… good for you? Yes, you read that right. Snacking between meals is actually good for your health. Snacks can even help you lose weight! There is only one catch though (there is always a catch); the snacks have to be healthy. What are the benefits of snacking on healthy foods? Here’s a list (you asked for it)…

•Food equals energy. Your body needs energy to function.

•Your blood sugar levels between meals can drop significantly if you aren’t refueling yourself regularly. Low blood sugar levels can lead to crankiness, sluggishness, and trouble thinking (Oh no! Nobody likes a cranky, hungry co-worker). Eating a healthy snack between meals helps maintain your blood sugar levels at a healthy level by providing a steady stream of carbohydrates and nutrients for your body. Steady blood sugar levels help prevent these unwanted side effects.

•Speaking of unwanted side effects… eating smaller meals, more often throughout the day has been proven to prevent heartburn commonly experienced after eating big meals.

•Eating healthy snacks keeps you more full throughout the day so you are less likely to overeat at mealtimes because you are “soooooo huuuunnnngryyyyy.”

•I said it before, and its true… eating healthy snacks throughout the day can actually help you lose weight! (Aren’t we all looking for ways to lose weight?) How does eating more often help you lose weight? Snacking won’t miraculously melt off the pounds, but it will help and every little bit helps when it comes to your weight, right? When you go hungry, your body isn’t getting the energy it needs to function. Your body tries to conserve energy by slowing down your metabolism (which means you are burning calories slower) and “saving energy,” or in other words, storing fat. Yikes! This is called “starvation mode.” Eating a healthy snack between meals can prevent starvation mode between meals by giving your body a constant supply of energy so your metabolism can stay higher throughout the day (burning more calories!) because your body is no longer “starving” for nutrients.

•Snacking can help you stay healthy? Eating healthy snacks helps you get all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs which helps build your immune system.

•Eating snacks can help you think more clearly by giving your brain the food it needs to work properly. So, eating that apple before you go out with your friends may help lower the number of those “foot-in-mouth” moments and you may get that raise you’ve been hoping for.

So go ahead, eat that healthy snack you’ve been thinking about the entire time you’ve been reading this article. It’s okay. Just remember to stay away from junk foods also called empty calorie foods (foods like candy, greasy foods/chips, etc…). These foods offer little or no nutritional value, only calories and/or fat. Stick to the healthy snacks and reap these rewards! Happy Snacking!