 Home > Food News > Nutrition News > Healthy "sugar reduction" tips

Healthy "sugar reduction" tips

 Last Update: 2021-06-28
 Source: Internet
 Author: User

Tags

dates health

dietary reference intake

Search more information of high quality chemicals, good prices and reliable suppliers, visit www.echemi.com

In recent years, I have often seen the Internet saying that eating too much sugar is not good for health
.
Our country has also successively promulgated many health policies to call on everyone to reduce the intake of added sugars.
For example, the National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030) proposes to extensively carry out the "three reductions and three health" (reduction of salt, oil, and diet).
Sugar, healthy oral cavity, healthy weight, healthy bones) as a special action.
The “Rational Diet Action” in the “Healthy China Action (2019-2030)” also proposes that the daily intake of added sugars per adult is not high.
Less than 25 grams of sugar reduction goal
.

With the upsurge of sugar reduction, everyone is very keen to join the ranks of sugar reduction
.
Why is sugar reduction so popular? What exactly should be reduced when reducing sugar? How to reduce it?

1.
Everyone is talking about "sugar reduction".
What kind of sugar is being reduced?

The reduction is "added sugar"
.

The sources of sugar are different, and the sugar contained in the food itself is not something we need to reduce
.
The sugar we want to reduce should be "added sugar"
.

2.
What is "added sugar"?

"Added sugars" refer to sugars artificially added to foods, which have sweetness characteristics, including monosaccharides and disaccharides, but "added sugars" do not include sugars in natural fruits and natural carbohydrates contained in staple foods
.

In daily life, we often see that many processed food ingredients contain sucrose, fructose, glucose, fructose syrup, etc.
, most of which are added sugars
.

3.
What are the hazards to the body if eating too much "added sugar"?

Caries

Added sugar is a pure energy food.
Frequent and excessive intake and carelessness of teeth cleaning can easily increase the risk of dental caries
.

obesity

Eating too much added sugar can easily lead to excessive energy intake and increase the risk of overweight and obesity
.
Once overweight or obese, the risk of chronic diseases related to obesity, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, cancer and other chronic diseases will also increase
.

4.
"Added sugar", how much can you consume?

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016 Edition)" recommends that our average adult's daily intake of added sugars provides no more than 10% of the total energy, preferably no more than 5% of the total energy, or control the intake of added sugars no more than daily 50 grams, preferably less than 25 grams
.

5.
How to "reduce sugar"?

　　Sugar is a common condiment, which imparts sweetness to food, which makes people feel more pleasant and love to eat
.
However, eating too much sugary food is not conducive to health.
We should try our best to control the amount of sugary food
.
So, how to "reduce sugar" scientifically?

(1) According to the label on the food package, choose food with lower sugar content

　　Check the label carefully.
When the ingredient list is marked with sucrose, white sugar, granulated sugar, maltose, fructose syrup, etc.
, it means that there is added sugar.
It is recommended to buy foods with lower sugar content as much as possible
.

　　According to China's nutrition labeling standards, if the sugar content of a food is less than or equal to 5g/100g (or 100ml), it is classified as a "low-sugar" food, and if the sugar content is less than or equal to 0.
5g/100g (or 100ml), it is classified as a "sugar-free" food
.

(2) Reduce consumption of high-sugar foods

　　Recommend eat or not eat high-sugar foods, such as ice cream, chocolate, sweets, cakes, candied fruit
.

(3) Do not drink or drink less sugary drinks

　　Sugar-sweetened beverages are the main source of "added sugar" intake.
Most sugar-sweetened beverages have a sugar content of about 10%.
A 250 ml bottle of beverage contains 25 grams of sugar.
It is recommended not to drink or to consume less sugary beverages
.

　　The best way for the body to replenish water is to drink boiled water or light tea
.
If you do not want to give up the enjoyment of sweetness, you can also choose sugar substitute (sugar-free) beverages
.
Many people worry that sugar substitutes (sweeteners) are not safe.
In fact, the evaluations of the World Health Organization and the Food Additives Codex Committee (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the US FDA, the European Food Safety Agency EFSA and other health institutions all believe that the use of Sweeteners, as long as they are used reasonably, are safe and will not be harmful to the human body, so they can be eaten with confidence
.
The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" also advocates that everyone use sweetener beverages instead of sugary beverages
.

　　The "energy" in the nutritional composition table of sugar-free beverages is generally 0, and the product package will be marked with "no sugar", "0 sugar 0 card", etc.
Consumers should pay attention to it when purchasing
.

(4) Add less sugar during cooking

　　Gradually change cooking and eating habits
.
When cooking dishes at home, try not to add sugar or add sugar as little as possible.
If you really want to add sugar, you must pay attention to control the amount
.
In addition, when adding sugar, it is best to use a measuring tool to quantify it to avoid accidentally adding too much
.

(5) Eating out and ordering food smartly

　　When dining out, try to choose less or not high-sugar dishes
.
Such as squirrel mandarin fish, kung pao chicken and braised pork
.

(The content of this issue is guided by He Li, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Deng Taotao, an associate researcher at the Applied Nutrition Division of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center
.
)

This article is an English version of an article which is originally in the Chinese language on echemi.com and is provided for information purposes only. This website makes no representation or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness ownership or reliability of the article or any translations thereof. If you have any concerns or complaints relating to the article, please send an email, providing a detailed description of the concern or complaint, to service@echemi.com. A staff member will contact you within 5 working days. Once verified, infringing content will be removed immediately.