Health, Sugar & Me Emily McLernon ClipArtBest 2014

Sugar Is... ‘Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short- chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.’ Wiki, 2014 The white stuff we call sugar is sucrose, it is found in plants; especially sugarcane and sugar beets. WiseGeek. (2013)

Presumptions People think sugar and automatically think sweets, cakes, doughnuts ect. Junk food! Fine Cooking. (2014). But natural sugars we need are in foods like fruit and milk!

Good and Bad Sugars ‘In fact, we need some sugar in our diets to supply ready energy to fuel our muscles and keep our brains active.’ Torrens, K. (2014). It’s true! Sugar from every food source supplies the glucose for your body to use for energy, good and bad sugars have a different effect on your body!

Glucose & Fructose Glucose, simple sugar. Found naturally in carbohydrates. Starch is many glucose molecules together. Fructose, simple sugar. ‘Fruit sugar’ Natural in all fruits and honey!

Sucrose & Lactose Sucrose, complex sugar. Half glucose, half fructose. Is extracted from sugar cane and beets refined to make table sugar! Lactose, milk sugar. Common intolerance!

Good Sugars Natural sugars are the good kind! Simple, natural sugars! Fruits, Milk and vegetables – Nutritional Value Slow rise in blood sugar rather than instant spike.

Bad Sugars Added sugars! Most food already comes with natural sugars. When you exceed your recommended sugar intake that is when it stores as fat in your body! When you’re adding sugar to your food, it usually is already filled with natural sugars!

Added Sugars Added sugars shouldn’t make up more than 10% of the energy (calorie intake) you get from food and drink each day. This is about 70g for men and 50g for women, but it varies depending on: your size your age how active you are NHS 2013

Your Metabolism Sugar has 2 options when entering you body! Burn it for energy Convert to fat and store it! Metabolism plays a huge role in this. Fast metabolism vs. slow metabolism

Sugar Vs. Sweeteners Sucrose aka table sugar gives us energy but has no nutritional value! Honey contains trace of vitamins and minerals Debateable with on going studies. Everything in moderation!

Sugar Substitutes Aren’t necessarily better! Packed with chemicals = Your body has to work harder to break down. The chemicals can harm your immune system! Artificial sweeteners have been tested more than most drugs!

Splenda Splenda created in 1970 Scientist were trying to develop insecticide! Has no immediate effect of blood sugar levels! Passes through body with no absorption 12 week testing 2008 proved it suppressed good bacteria (in rats). Proving difficult to maintain a good digestive system!

My Fridge

Fruit – Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mango Veggies – Lettuce, spinach, cucumber, broccoli, carrots, sprouts Meat – Chicken and Turkey Cereals – Porridge oats, shredded wheat, fruit and fibre, yoghurt. Milk – skimmed. Cheese 6x water bottles. Freezer Frozen chicken and turkey Frozen Berries Frozen Milk

Why I Buy What I Buy... If you don’t buy the rubbish you can’t eat the rubbish. Temptation is the devil. Generally enough food fresh food to last Monday – Friday!

Food Diary 8am – Porridge with fruit 10/11am – Banana 1pm – Chicken, cucumber, lettuce, spinach wrap 3pm – Grapes 6pm – chicken, broccoli, carrots, sprouts, sweet potato. 9/10pm – Muesli/Granola/Cereal

Food Diary Keep your metabolism steady! Don’t cut down on calories! Eat all your calories, just in the right food! Treat yourself once or twice a week!

Eating and Exercising Eating healthy gives your body what it needs. If you’re looking to lose weight eating healthy isn’t enough. Fast vs. Slow metabolism decides how much exercise you need to do! It’s not enough to have a 12 week plan, Being healthy is a lifestyle.

Mind Over Matter With food, eating and exercise it’s all in your mind! Enjoy and be happy! If you want it, you’ll do it. It’s a life choice, a conscious decision.

ClipArtBest. (2014). Candy Canes. Available: Last accessed 9th Nov Fine Cooking. (2014). Spectacular Layer Cake. Available: recipes.aspx. Last accessed 9th Nov NHS (2013) How Much Sugar Is Good For Me?. Available: Last accessed 9th Nov Torrens, K. (2014) The Truth About Sugar. Available: sugar. Last accessed 9th Nov 2014 Wikipedia (2014) Sugar. Available: Last accessed 9th Nov WiseGeek. (2013) Sugar Cane. Available: Last accessed 9th Nov al_sweeteners?page=2.