Will you take the Sugar Challenge?
Over the past few years, the scientific focus has shifted from wrongly demonising fats - which we need - to realising that the real threat to our health is sugar, which is okay in small amounts but not in the quantities we tend to consume.
As nutritionist Jane Clarke says, ‘excess sugar intake is linked to a higher risk of developing cancer, heart disease, obesity and to insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes’.
It’s not just the spoonful/s you stir into your tea or coffee or sprinkle on your cereal, she points out, ‘but the hidden sugars in processed foods that mean you could be eating more sugar than you think’.
To highlight the problem, Jane is asking us all to take part in a Sugar Challenge by keeping a 7-Day Sugar Diary. Here’s what she’s asking us to do over the coming week.
• Try to write down all the sugar you eat: note the amount from the ingredients list on the back of a packet, count the grams you put in any baking, and the spoonfuls you put in hot drinks etc. Don't forget to add how many biscuits, slices of cakes, sweets, jam/honey etc.
• Jot down how eating these sugary foods made you feel after consuming them: for instance, did the initial burst of energy soon wear off, leaving you feeling lethargic? Did you feel hungry half an hour later?
• Note when you feel the need for a ‘sugar fix’. And if you got through it (maybe by eating something savoury) without reaching for a sweet something – or gave in to a chocolate bar or toast and jam.
• Email your sugar diary to enquiries@nourishbyjaneclarke.com.
• The cutoff date is Wednesday 20th November 2019. The results will be reported in the Nourish December newsletter.
Jane, who’s also a long-term colleague and friend, set up the Nourish website (nourishbyjaneclarke.com) to give advice and information on eating well when you’re not well plus lots of other topics that are good for everyone to read – we love the item on World Kindness Day, for example. Do have a browse – it’s a treasure trove.
Jane’s also created Nourish Nutritionally Complete Drinks. In four flavours (vanilla, chocolate, raspberry and mango), these are natural, organic and contain all the calories, protein, vitamins and minerals your body needs when you can’t eat much or you need extra nourishment.