Numerous discussions surrounding the consumption of excess fat have been circulating for years. However until recently, there has been less of an emphasis on sugar. The amount of sugar that we ingest daily – the majority unconsciously – is shocking and terrifying. From 1977 to 2000 we doubled our sugar intake (3). This over consumption is, to a large extent, a product of labelling by food companies who make it seem as though their food items contain a reasonable amount of sugar. For example, the nutrition label on Vitamin Water reads 13g of sugar per serving, yet there are 2.5 servings in each bottle. This works out to be 13g of sugar x 2.5 = 32.5g (6.5 teaspoons) of sugar in one bottle. When was the last time you drank less than half a bottle of Vitamin Water? Laurie David, author of climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth, questions why sugar is not measured in teaspoons - a measurement much better understood by the general population.
When the low fat craze began in the 1980s, food companies began to strip their products of fat, which can also strip the product of taste. So how did they keep their products tasting good? You guessed it - sugar! Incidentally, there was also a rise of obesity that began around the same time. There has been a drastic increase in Type II Diabetes in young people, stemming from soda and fast food companies infiltrating cash-poor lunch programs (4). Despite the high importance of regular exercise, the food we put into our bodies has an enormous impact on weight, as well as on the amount of adipose tissue (fat) surrounding our organs. The film Fed Up (trailer below), screened in early May at Hot Docs in Toronto, gives us a front row seat to the unveiling of the serious implications of our present sugar consumption. Featured in the film is a twelve year old girl named Maggie who swims 4x per week, yet she weighs 212 lbs. Her school offers a choice between pizza or a hamburger and french fries for lunch. Maggie's story clearly demonstrates that we cannot exercise ourselves out of obesity. However, this does not mean that those with a poor diet that are not overweight are escaping obesity on the inside. An MRI can give you an internal picture of just how thick a fat jacket your organs are wearing.
The next time you are enjoying a salad and burger this summer, think about making your own salad dressing and using fresh vegetables as condiments before you spoil your nutritious meal with hidden sugars. To find out more ways to cut back on your sugar intake, manage your weight and/or how to eat a more balanced diet, visit Dr. Liz Mingay at Bayview Chiropractic Health Centre.
When the low fat craze began in the 1980s, food companies began to strip their products of fat, which can also strip the product of taste. So how did they keep their products tasting good? You guessed it - sugar! Incidentally, there was also a rise of obesity that began around the same time. There has been a drastic increase in Type II Diabetes in young people, stemming from soda and fast food companies infiltrating cash-poor lunch programs (4). Despite the high importance of regular exercise, the food we put into our bodies has an enormous impact on weight, as well as on the amount of adipose tissue (fat) surrounding our organs. The film Fed Up (trailer below), screened in early May at Hot Docs in Toronto, gives us a front row seat to the unveiling of the serious implications of our present sugar consumption. Featured in the film is a twelve year old girl named Maggie who swims 4x per week, yet she weighs 212 lbs. Her school offers a choice between pizza or a hamburger and french fries for lunch. Maggie's story clearly demonstrates that we cannot exercise ourselves out of obesity. However, this does not mean that those with a poor diet that are not overweight are escaping obesity on the inside. An MRI can give you an internal picture of just how thick a fat jacket your organs are wearing.
The next time you are enjoying a salad and burger this summer, think about making your own salad dressing and using fresh vegetables as condiments before you spoil your nutritious meal with hidden sugars. To find out more ways to cut back on your sugar intake, manage your weight and/or how to eat a more balanced diet, visit Dr. Liz Mingay at Bayview Chiropractic Health Centre.
References:
1. Swinburn, BA, Caterson I, Seidell JC, and James WPT. "Diet, nutrition and the prevention of excess weight gain and obesity." Cambridge Journals - Public Health Nutrition 7. 1a (February 2004): 123-146.
2. Lustig, Robert H. Fat Chance: Beating the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity, and disease. New York: Fourth Estate/Hudson Street Press, 2012. Print.
3. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/uncovering-the-dirty-secret-about-sugar/article18334597/
4. http://www.minbcnews.com/news/ndnvideo?id=25894506
5. http://www.sugarstacks.com
1. Swinburn, BA, Caterson I, Seidell JC, and James WPT. "Diet, nutrition and the prevention of excess weight gain and obesity." Cambridge Journals - Public Health Nutrition 7. 1a (February 2004): 123-146.
2. Lustig, Robert H. Fat Chance: Beating the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity, and disease. New York: Fourth Estate/Hudson Street Press, 2012. Print.
3. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/uncovering-the-dirty-secret-about-sugar/article18334597/
4. http://www.minbcnews.com/news/ndnvideo?id=25894506
5. http://www.sugarstacks.com
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