Getting real about sugar
Sugar has been a popular topic in the media for a number of years now, and we are often hearing about the negative implications for our health and wellbeing, and how it can play havoc with blood glucose levels and promote inflammation. So, you might be wondering about your own sugar levels, and whether you need to need give up all sweet things.
Well, before you commit to never to having cake again, read on to learn more about sugar, and to understand the real key to getting in charge of your sugar intake - developing nutritional awareness whilst maintaining healthy relationship with food, sugar included - so that when you do consume it, it is in a conscious and balanced way.
Where sugar RESIDES
Let’s start with understanding where the major sources of sugar lie in the standard Western diet. At large, these include fizzy drinks, concentrated fruit juices, processed cereals, ready meals particularly the low fat ones, white sliced bread, packaged cakes, desserts, biscuits, sweets and flavoured yoghurts, plus the sugar we add to teas and coffees.
Most of these foods sit in the ultra processed category and typically feature sugar in a highly concentrated form, or contain a refined form of sugar ie. table sugar. When sugar is added by the manufacture, we call these ‘free sugars’.
Even with food industry steps to regulate or minimise free sugars, if a person’s daily diet is largely comprise of these kinds of foods, their sugar consumption is likely to be significant, and way above official recommendations.
We all have got the message now that consuming large amounts of sugar overtime can be linked to inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation and related conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes. However - to add a little perspective - infrequent or small amounts of refined sugars are unlikely to be harmful to most people. So, whilst you may look at the big picture of your diet and decide it could be be helpful to reduce your intake, you may not necessarily need to cut it out completely - and in fact, I encourage you not to write-off all the foods containing sugar as ‘bad’ (see my later point for more on this).
The second major category of sugars are the naturally occurring kind. Think about the sugars that are found in ‘whole foods’ such as fruits, dairy, starchy vegetables and wholegrains.
When people connect with media headlines about sugar, or start following advocates of extreme diets, there is a risk they can become disproportionately fearful of all types of sugars, including those in natural foods. Tropical fruits in particular - such as bananas, grapes, pineapple, for example - can all get a bad wrap, for example.
However, what you need to know is that the natural sugars in most whole foods are delivered in a volume and format that our bodies are well versed in metabolising. Plus the sugars in these food come with a host of other beneficial nutrients. For example, fresh fruits contain fructose, as well as plenty of Vitamin C and fibre. This all means that as part of a balanced die, any possible negative health implications linked to natural sugars from whole foods are likely negligible for most people.
Lightening the sugar load naturally
There are now many diet plans focussed around quitting sugar or involving strict rules around its avoidance but, in my view, our overall approach to keeping our dietary intake of sugar to sensible levels for health should be less focussed on avoidance of specific foods, and more focussed on the overall balance and nutrient value of our daily diets. This ‘positive’ approach to nutrition might look like improving people’s base-line of ‘whole foods’ with all the many health benefits that they bring.
Whole foods are essentially foods in their simplest forms - the raw ingredients we have cooked with for centuries before Kelloggs and Cadburys popped up on the scene. As well as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and dairy, you can also add meats, fish, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds to the list. These are nutrient-dense as well as being free or naturally low in sugar and/or providing sugar in forms the body is happy to take advantage of.
Keeping it real
You might be wondering where things like yogurts, dried fruit, jams, honey, baked beans, bottled sauces, condiments or those ready-made protein balls you like, fit in the picture.
These types of foods have undergone some degree of processing, and are often described as being sources of ‘hidden sugars. There is no doubt that learning about the ‘hidden sugars’ added to foods can be surprising and you may wish to develop some awareness around it, but we also need to keep perspective and realise that going to the extremes of avoiding these completely may not be practical for most of us, or constructive to a healthy relationship with food.
You might also consider how much of a food you would typically eat and what you might pair it with whilst you eat it. Take honey as the example here - eating it pure by the tablespoon is one thing, but imagine how most of us are actually most likely to consume it, for example, on a slice of toast with butter for taste, or combined with protein-rich greek yoghurt and berries, or to sweeten up your parsnips.
The overall nutritional quality of the overall meal or snack usually looks very different when you take it a whole, as compared to the single ingredients. And so can the potential impact on blood sugar levels too. When you combine sugar, or carbs that breakdown to sugar very quickly, with protein, fibre-rich foods, or fat-rich foods, you can help blunt the blood sugar response.
Take dairy products as another example. The processing methods vary widely so the nutritional profile of a brie will look different to cheese strings, kefir will look different to a Muller Corner. But whatever milk or yoghurt products you choose, consider that they all contain some calcium and protein, as well as the sugar lactose.
No sugar coating – being prepared when sugar calls
If you have challenges with your relationship with sugary (or processed) foods and struggle with cravings, then getting real about sugar may be tough. This is not your fault - you may be caught up in unhelpful beliefs how ‘bad’ it is.
Understandably, you may associate sugary foods with the enjoyment or comfort they bring, or the quick energy hit. And, even if you have concerns about your health, you may feel resistant to changing your habits. Therefore cutting them out completely, as is often recommended by many professionals, could really backfire for you and result in food obsession or binge eating.
But there is a way forward. Instead I recommend taking an intuitive approach to gently ‘unhooking’ from sugar. Here are just a few tips to get you started:
Start by understanding your pattern with sugar by bringing awareness to your urges and cravings and understanding your personal triggers for turning to sugar. For example, hunger, thirst, lack of regularity around meal times, tiredness, stress or other emotions are all very common triggers.
Once you notice and name what’s going on for you, it’s far easier to work on your self-care accordingly and in turn naturally reduce the opportunities to get triggered and start to reset both your mind and body responses.This might sound counter intuitive but if you give yourself full permission to eat sugar as part of your diet, you effectively take it off that pedestal you’ve put it on and can level up with it. Many people assume control or willpower will get them through sugar cravings, but the human brain doesn’t work like that - if you tell it not to think about something specific, it will think about it.
Exposure (albeit very carefully at first) is one remedy to this, as eventually it will lose some of its allure and you reclaim your power to choose it when you really want it.Be mindful of the big picture of your daily diet and how the overall balance is shaping up. Be aware of nutrition, but be pragmatic. Eat enough food! Incorporate plenty of colourful whole foods and combine proteins in meals and snacks. And when you’re thinking about what to eat, think about nourishment, satisfaction and fullness whilst eating and after eating - rather than simply getting a quick ‘hit’.
Put a little more time and thought into your snack options beyond the ultra high-sugar snacks ie. the biscuits, cakes and sweets. Many of my clients report eating well at meal times but feel their snacking is out of control. What alternatives could you easily make available to yourself e.g. fruits, yoghurts, nuts and seeds, cheese, oatcakes, hummus or high quality chocolate?
As you can see, this is all about awareness and balance and there is so much more to this topic than I’ve covered in this blog. Keep learning from your own experiences and stay curious about what your body is telling you.
Take a nourishing step forward today
Are worries about food, weight, or overeating draining your time, energy, and peace of mind? Are you struggling with low mood, persistent food cravings, poor gut health or digestive challenges?
Old mindsets and habits can be hard to shift on your own. If you are looking to find peace with food and your body, and eat with more confidence and ease, I can help you.
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