STOP FEEDING A SWEET TOOTH

CUTTING BACK ON SUGAR

SUGAR contains no nutrients, no proteins, and no healthy fats. Ideally, we recommend that you consume no sugar, and certainly nothing more than the equivalent of 25g (equating to about six teaspoons) per day from all sources, including fruit.

Stick to berries (you can mix with plain Greek yoghurt) and hard fruit (apples or pears).

BE ALERT TO HIDDEN SUGARS

ALMOST all processed foods, including savouries such as pasta sauces and peanut butter, contain hidden sugars.

If a food label has something on it that ends with ‘-ose’, then it is likely to be a form of sugar. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose and galactose are all sugars.

STEER CLEAR OF FRUIT JUICES

FRUIT juices are extremely calorie-dense: a small glass of apple juice contains about 140 calories, the same as eating three apples. Also, commercially processed fruit drinks have almost all fibre removed. In whole fruit, with its skin on, fibrous cell walls take time to break down, allowing a more gradual release of energy. Juices, on the other hand, result in sugar spikes.

AVOID SWEETENERS

SADLY, some artificial sweeteners seem to be as bad, if not worse, than sugar when it comes to weight gain and diabetes. They can upset the microbiome, those bugs in your gut and cause inflammation. If you must, Stevia is probably your best bet.