Tag Archives: Sugar

What to Drink on a Cold Day

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Healthy Eating

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There are so many choices to choose from when selecting a hot beverage. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, flavored coffee drinks…

Then there are many more choices within those.  Black tea, green tea, flavored tea. Black coffee, flavored coffee, espresso, a holiday dessert drink – peppermint, pumpkin, or gingerbread flavored latte.

Still more choices, depending on your drink, caffeine or decaf, sweetener/sugar, milk/cream (regular, non-fat, low-fat or soy milk), flavored creamers.  And lastly, to top it off with marshmallows, whipped cream, caramel, or chocolate sauce or not.

While you may have your favorite hot beverage, be mindful of what you are drinking.  Obviously hot tea with lemon, even if sweetened with a bit of honey, would be a healthier choice than a dessert drink that is high in caffeine, sugar and fat.  It’s okay to splurge once in a while, but if you find yourself craving a sugary drink, it may be wise to switch to a water based beverage on a daily basis.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

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Hungry and Tired? What Did You Eat Last?

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Healthy Body

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Hungry and Tired? What Did You Eat Last?There’s a saying, “Never let yourself get too hungry, tired or angry.” Did you know that what you eat can have a direct effect on how you feel hours later?

For example, When you eat or drink something high in sugar, your body gets a sudden surge of energy followed by an insulin surge that rapidly drops your blood sugar level. Then about two hours later, you feel really hungry, tired and sometimes irritable. To avoid this, replace simple carbohydrates/sugars and processed foods with whole grain/complex ones.  You will feel better and more satisfied. Sugar does not have to be completely avoided, but it should be eaten with some fat (from cheese or nuts) or fiber (from fruit or grains) so you can absorb it more slowly.

Also, remember to eat often enough so that you don’t let yourself get too hungry.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

How Are Americans Consuming Over 100 Pounds of Sugar a Year?

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Healthy Eating

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The average American consumes over 100 pounds of sugar a year.  Where is all that sugar coming from? It’s being added to almost every category of food and drink. (See the lists below)

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods and beverages during processing or preparation. This does not include naturally occurring sugars in milk and fruits.

Foods that contain most of the added sugars in American diets are:

  • regular soft drinks
  • candy
  • cakes
  • cookies
  • pies
  • fruit drinks, fruit punch and sweetened beverages
  • milk-based desserts and products: ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk like chocolate milk
  • bread products: sweet rolls and cinnamon toast

Look for sugar and the many names for sugar, in not so obvious foods and condiments:

Soups                                                   Ketchup

Crackers                                               Barbecue sauce

Macaroni and Cheese                             Salad dressing

Bread                                                   Stuffing Mix

Hamburger buns                                   Breakfast Cereals

Pasta Sauce                                          Juice drinks

Check the ingredient list on the label of food and beverages for the different names for sugar, then check the number of grams of sugar on the nutrition facts label.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

The Lowdown on Sugar

21 Thursday Jun 2012

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Why does sugar have to taste so good and not be so good for us?  I’ve heard that long ago, before the invention of processed food, when people ate what nature provided, that one way of telling if something was safe to eat was if it tasted sweet.  While this may have kept humans alive centuries ago, today it is creating quite a health crisis.  

Excessive sugar intake can cause significant weight gain, lead to type 2 diabetes, and contribute to metabolic syndrome. The empty calories in sugar don’t provide any nutritional benefit, often leaving us feeling unsatisfied and wanting to eat more.

Now that summer is here, so are sweet summer fruits!  Peaches, nectarines, watermelon, berries, kiwi, melons, plums, cherries, apricots…  Okay, they may not always satisfy that craving, but I think this is what nature intended in the sweets department. So the next time you are craving something sweet have a piece of fruit.  By adding one or two servings of fruit to your daily eating, you can change your taste buds over time, and one day you may find that your cravings for sweets will be satisfied by fruit. 

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Scavenger Hunt

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Family Fun

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Put your detective hat on and get out your magnifying glass.  Today we are going on a scavenger hunt!

Here is your mission: Print out this page (one for each detective or team of detectives) and see how many of the names below you can find.

agave nectar, apple juice, barley malt, beet sugar, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, buttered syrup, carob syrup, castor sugar, confectioner’s sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, caramel, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, fruit juice concentrate, date sugar, dehydrated cane juice, demerara sugar, dextran, dextrose, diatase, diatatic malt, ethyl maltol, fructo-oligosaccharides, evaporated cane juice, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, glucose solids, golden syrup, fructose, granulated sugar, grape juice, grape sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malted barley, maltitol, maltodextrin, maltose, malt syrup, mannitol, maple sugar, maple syrup, microcrystalline cellulose, molasses, organic dehydrated cane sugar, muscovado sugar, pear juice, polydextrose, powdered sugar, raisin juice, raw sugar, refiner’s syrup, rice syrup, saccharose, sorbitol, sorghum, sorghum syrup, sucanat, sucrose, sugar, sugar cane, syrup, treacle, turbinado sugar, vanilla sugar, white grape juice, white sugar, xylitol, xylose, yellow sugar

Clue #1 –  You will find these suspects in your kitchen. Check your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer.

Clue #2 – They will be hiding on the ingredient list of foods.

Clue #3 – It may be helpful to keep your eye out for the words “syrup” and “sweetener,” and to look for words ending in “ose.”

What do these words all have in common?  They are all names for sugar!

Good Luck!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis