I have blogged many times about the huge amount of sugar we consume daily and the impact that has on our health and on our teeth. I have argued that if mass medicinal solutions such as adding the poison fluoride to our water supply are unnecessary and that cutting back on sugar additives would be equally as effective whilst containing other benefits.
The average person consumes 150 pounds of sugar each year, that is the
equivalent of approximately seventy five one kilogram bags or 33 tablespoons
each day.Today's South Wales Evening Post sets out some of the sources of that sugar.
They say that there are 6 cubes of sugar in a Dolmio Bolognese sauce and one in just a single Oreo Cookie. A can of Coca Cola has 7.5 cubes, while a tub of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream has 25.5 cubes. There are 9 cubes in a mango and 4.5 cubes in an apple:
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) no more than 10 per
cent of a person's daily energy should come from free sugars - those
that are added to processed foods and drinks, but also those found
naturally in products like honey.
This is around 50g or 10 cubes a day.
Some of the products mentioned earlier would give someone their daily dose in one hit.
Worse still, people are advised to aim for no more than five per cent - 25g - if they want to be extra healthy.
In Western Europe the current average daily intake of free sugars is 101g (20 cubes).
The
problem is, according to Sasha Watkins, a spokesperson for the British
Dietetic Association, (and a registered dietician) many people just don't expect some products to
contain as much sugar as they do.
"While it may not be surprising
that a can of Coca-Cola has a staggering seven cubes of sugar (35g),
similar amounts can be found in the most unlikely of foods," she told the
Daily Mail.
Some of the extra sugar in products has been blamed
on efforts to reduce fat content. It is used to replace the taste lost
by removing some of the fat.
This is an issue the government needs to get to grips with for the sake of all our health.
Welsh Liberal Democrats Councillor for Cwmbwrla Ward, City and County of Swansea - Please buy my novels at Author Page
Pages
▼
Monday, March 16, 2015
2 comments:
I am happy to address most contributions, even the drunken ones if they are coherent, but I am not going to engage with negative sniping from those who do not have the guts to add their names or a consistent on-line identity to their comments. Such postings will not be published.
Anonymous comments with a constructive contribution to make to the discussion, even if it is critical will continue to be posted. Libellous comments or remarks I think may be libellous will not be published.
I will also not tolerate personation so please do not add comments in the name of real people unless you are that person. If you do not like these rules then start your own blog.
Oh, and if you persist in repeating yourself despite the fact I have addressed your point I may get bored and reject your comment.
The views expressed in comments are those of the poster, not me.
I agree! Sugar is THE cause of obesity, diabetes etc. But for decades now government has been banging away about evils of salt and fat, the need for daft amounts of exercise. If you want to know why they've got it so wrong read Gary Taubes 'Why We Get Fat'. So before a successful anti-sugar campaign can start, we've got clear out the invalid and mis-leading nonsense. Is WG up to the challenge?
ReplyDeleteNote also the contents of breakfast cereals, even the supposedly healthy ones. The only one currently without added sugar is Shredded Wheat.
ReplyDelete