Every conscious individual knows that sugar has become one of the serious impediments in the path of healthy life.
Sugar consumption has increased over recent decades, triggering a large number of new cases of diabetes, says a guide book—-“How to live to 110”.
“It is plausible—-but not proven—-that consuming large quantities of sugary drinks and foods can lead to diabetes, probably because the fructose they contain turns to harmful fat around your internal organs,” finds out the book.
Even if this turns out not to be a cause, it points out, there are other reasons why cutting back on added sugar is better for your long-term health.
Naturally occurring sugar, such as in whole fruit, shouldn’t be a problem. The sugar is released only slowly and your system should be able to cope with it. Fruit juices and smoothies release sugar faster, so don’t go overboard on drinking this.
“It is wise to cut right down on foods and drinks where sugar has been added. Sugar can be absorbed quickly into your blood as glucose and fructose, with the glucose putting pressure on your glucose control system and the fructose potentially turning into harmful fat around your internal organs,” states the book.
Ways to reduce sugar include
- – Give up non-diet, sweet fizzy drinks—some cans contain ten teaspoonful of sugar.
- – Restrict your sweet snacks and confectionery to at most one a day.
- – Cut down on jam, honey and syrup which are basically flavoured sugar.
- – Watch out for added sugar in the foods you buy — including in many that do not taste sweet. Check labels; tea spoon is 4g or 16 calories.
Choose starchy foods that release glucose slowly: Ideally, you want your starchy foods to release their glucose slowly so your system can cope without needing much insulin. How fast glucose is related depends on a range of factors—-for example, the book says, potatoes release the glucose in their starch quickly while barley much more slowly.
“Large scale studies have shown that starchy foods with a low-scoring glycemic index seem to reduce your risk of getting diabetes if you eat them regularly in place of other starchy food,” adds the book.
Be especially careful with snacks. A carefully chosen snack can stave off hunger until your next meal. Badly chosen, and you will consume a lot of calories and send your blood glucose and insulin levels flying, warns the book.
The worst snacks for this tend to be products made of flour and sugar, such as doughnuts, muffins, scones, cakes and biscuits. It’s best to eat these rarely. If you can’t resist, go for a small portion—-half a doughnut, say, or a single biscuit—and treat it as something special, advices the book.
Watch for signs and act early:
Many people have diabetes or –pre-diabetes, but do not yet realise it. They are not getting the medical help and advice they need and the glucose their blood may already be causing them harm.
Even more people are suffering from insulin resistance without knowing it, perhaps wondering why they are struggling with their weight .
Spotting the signs and taking action at an early stage can help you live longer with a better quality of life.
Your risk of diabetes is raised if:
- – A parent, sister or brother has diabetes or insulin resistance
- – You are male
- – You are Asian, black or from other minority races
- – Your risk increases with age, especially over 45.
- Your risk is increased if your waist is greater than:
- – Women 80cm/32in
- – Asian men 90cm/35in
- – White and black men 94cm/37cm
Taking action is very important, because you may be able to stop yourself getting full-blown diabetes; and, if you have it, managing your glucose levels is vital for your long-term health, says the book.