Sugars are prevalent in many types of food, and overconsumption can lead to health problems like elevated triglyceride levels. To avoid this, it is important to learn how to spot sugars on food labels. Track your daily intake using apps like LIFE SUM OR MY FITNESS PAL. Get to know how much sugar your body is taking in look out for the following sources of sugar:
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- Words ending in "ose" (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Cane syrup
- Cane sugar
- Honey
- Malted sugar
- Molasses
- Raw sugar
Here is a list of common alcohol sugars to look out for on the labels and track in your app. Even these add to your total sugar intake:
Polyglycitol
Lactitol
Isomalt
Maltitol
Mannitol
Sorbitol
Xylitol
Erythritol
Consuming alcohol sugars can affect the body by causing a rise in blood sugar levels and contributing to weight gain. While alcohol sugars are lower in calories than regular sugar, they can still have an impact on blood sugar levels and may cause digestive issues like bloating and diarrhea when consumed in excess. It is important to be mindful of how much alcohol sugar you are consuming and to limit your intake to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Cruisin' For A Boozin'
Alcohol is another cause of high triglyceride levels and sugar. It’ good to note the general requirements:
Women should limit their alcohol intake to one drink or less per day.
Men should limit themselves to two drinks or less per day.
To maintain healthy triglyceride levels, consider drinking sparkling water with a squeeze of lime juice or another non-alcoholic beverage. Plus they are lower in calories. If your weaning off try Non sweetened Vodka, bourbon(whiskey), tequila, or gin adding it to sparking water with a squeeze of real fruit juice. This will limit sugar but alcohol consumption should be avoided if you can. Avoid sweetened drinks (even the zero sugar kind) these have alcohol sugars and your body still responds to them. Limit soda intakes for a start and go the sparking water route to help manage your sugar intake. Real spring water is the best option and taking in half your body weight in ounces will surely hydrate you as well as flush out toxins increasing your overall health.
Daily Serving Sizes on the Sweet Ol’ Sugar
Athletic Aha, aims to teach you the knowledge. The truth is that most adults don't limit their intake of added sugars to the daily recommendations. 10% of your daily calories is the max for sugar.
For a 2000 calorie diet, this equates to 50 grams or 12 teaspoons of sugar per day. It is also important to note that the American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women and no more than 9 teaspoons for men. Remember, keeping tabs on your sugar intake can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.