A few months ago we told you how the great lie of sugar had been uncovered, when decades ago studies were altered that said ** what foods were more dangerous to our weight and our heart **, and ignored sugar, attacking fat.
That caused people to reduce fat intake and, consequently, increase that of foods with more simple carbohydrates, and even of foods with added sugar because, in reality, we have never cared much for it. Now we know that it is a food that should not be abused at all and, given the risk that children learn this, there are those who have already found a way to get Another generation of children, future adults, crammed with sugar, making them believe that it is healthy.
But what's wrong with sugar?
The question should be the other way around: what's good? Because apart from the taste, it has nothing else. In fact, there are many of us who call it "the new tobacco", for these reasons:
- Oxford researchers estimated that a 15% reduction in sugar consumption would prevent 180,000 people in the UK will end up being obese in just one year with this measure, and an even greater number of people would avoid being overweight.
- Another study analyzing data from 175 countries revealed that for every 150 additional calories from sugar (compared to 150 calories from fat or protein), the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population was up to 11 times higher.
- A third study concluded that in American adults who consume more than 25% of daily calories in sugar, the risk of cardiovascular mortality is triple compared to those who consume less than 10%. This happened regardless of the BMI and physical activity they performed (even those who played sports, because they ate that amount of sugar, had triple the risk).
- A fourth study (and I leave it, because we could spend hours, and I think that with these data it is already quite evident), shows how the reduction of sugar is able to quickly modify the health status of a person. A sample of 43 Latino and African-American children with metabolic syndrome were marked on a diet in which they did not reduce the number of calories they took, nor the percentage of carbohydrates, but yes they lowered the percentage of sugar from 28% of total calories to 10%. At 10 days they saw that the levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, fasting blood pressure and insulin had been significantly reduced.
A book for children and another for teachers
Two days ago they echoed it on the Twitter account of the SinAzucar.org page, offering some pages of a book created by the Institute of Sugar and Beet Studies (whose url is conazucar.com, interestingly). This book is offered, in theory, under this premise:
The educational program "Learn to Eat, Learn to Cook. Sugar teaches you the world of food" is aimed at instilling healthy eating habits in children and the importance of eating all kinds of food.
Already with this begins to scare a little because it seems that they are shielded in that recommendation that for a diet to be healthy, It must be varied and balanced, consuming food from all groups. And yes, of course it is recommended that a child eat food from all groups, but within carbohydrates, what is recommended is to consume the different farinaceous: cereals and whole grain products (bread, pasta, rice, millet , cereal flakes without added sugar, etc.) and tubers (potato, cassava, sweet potato, etc.), and not sugar, which is a refined substance that provides only empty calories (only helps to gain weight, does not provide vitamins, minerals or anything considered positive).
Learn to eat, learn to cook
Within the mentioned program we find educational resources aimed at children and teachers. The children's book is intended to provide information for children, explaining "how important" sugar is for their food (the pdf has 15 pages and the word sugar appears 24 times), and the teacher's book is a book of activities and games that can be done in class so that children, through fun, internalize that sugar "is a healthy and fun food" (the pdf has 24 pages and the word sugar appears 26 times). Terrible.
The important thing, what should be highlighted, is what children aged 8 to 10 can read in their book, if someone sent it to them:
A whole page for sugar, after going through other foods such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc. An entire page on which we read such undesirable and fallacious things as:
You can sweeten the milk or orange juice with it. In this way you will get the vitality and the desire you need to go to school.
By power, you can sweeten what you want ... just by adding sugar you already have it. Another thing is that it is recommended, and another that really gives you vitality. At first, yes, it is possible for some children to be sparked at the energy level, but we all know that after the storm comes the calm, and when insulin quickly removes glucose from the bloodstream comes that strange hunger that one He doesn't know how to calm down: that moment when one needs to eat or starts having a bad temper (and in children, perhaps, bad behavior). What gives vitality to a child is Eat healthy and sleep well, and in that equation sugar as an added substance bothers more than helps.
In addition, after some of your meals or for a snack, you can take a natural yogurt with sugar or a sweet of those so rich that they are usually made at home.
Unless, dear little one, your health worries you. Then it is better that you do not do it, or that you do it in a timely manner.
Did you know that sugar gives you energy to study, play and play sports? This is because the sugar we drink becomes another called glucose, and glucose is the "fuel" of your brain and muscles, just as cars need gasoline to function, we need sugar.
It is not true. We do not need sugar. We need carbohydrates, which are already part of our diet (often) in greater proportion than is usually recommended.
To breakfast, with sugar, of course
We arrived at this page where we suggest some breakfasts, and we read this:
Dairy products. To start, do not miss a good glass of milk in your breakfast that you can sweeten with sugar.
Or not. Because milk already has its own sugar (lactose), so you don't need to add more sugar. In fact, many lactose-free milks also contain it: they have lactose and lactase is added, so that lactose intolerant can tolerate it. If you’re going to eat a toast, some sugar-free cereals or some bread, the sugar is totally left over.
To dinner, with sugar, of course
Then we arrive at dinner and they tell us this:
(...) and finally, a dessert, like fruit or a yogurt with sugar.
Ok, right?
Let's know the flavors
Sugar is a food that should be in a healthy diet, as it gives you energy and improves the taste of other foods.
It should not be added, or the less, the better, in a healthy diet. If the food contains it naturally, there is no problem, but adding it is not a good idea either for the palate or for the calories it provides, and less at a time when we have too much childhood obesity.
To snack, with sugar, of course
Sweets, biscuits and homemade cakes are very healthy and nutritious foods because they contain natural foods such as milk, fruit, eggs or sugar.
Milk, fruit, eggs ... so far perfect. Put the pile of sugar that each recipe asks for and turn something healthy into the opposite.
And then, no sugar?
In a perfect world yes, no sugar. But we don't live in a perfect world and the supermarket shelves are full of processed food, with its added sugar. The recommendation is to offer it as late as possible, and when it is done, that is in a timely manner, as the food pyramid says (occasional consumption).
Come on, that from time to time, no one bitter a sweet, but this is far from considering that every day, at each meal, you have to add sugar. Come on, if you occasionally eat an ice cream or similar, you should know that it is not a healthy practice to be repeated daily.
I just hope this reaches some official agency and a book like this is censored. Or that it simply never reaches our children, nor of course the teachers. I eat them (to the professors), and without sweetening.
Photos | iStock
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