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How much sugar is too much?
November 8, 2020
Written By: Coach Mairead
Sugar is a hot topic when you talk about nutrition! Since we're coming up to Halloween and then Christmas after that, we get worried about how much sugar we should really be having.
Today, let's break down some of those worries so you can enjoy your food without stressing.
Where do we find sugar?
We have both natural and added sugar in our diets. Natural sugars are found in fruit, some starchy vegetables, dairy products, and some grain products. We generally don't have to worry about natural sugars - these foods bring so much nutrition to the table in the form of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Sugars that we might want to watch are added sugars and those in foods that don't give us a ton of nutritional value. This includes sugar added to other foods to make it sweeter, like in cereal, as well as sweet treats and sugary drinks.
Can sugar be part of a healthy diet?
Absolutely! Life without our favourite sweet treats wouldn't be the same. In a well-balanced diet, you'd be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and high fibre carbs. Having a bit of sugar in there is not going to totally destroy your health and derail your goals. If we're often having a lot of sugar at meals and snacks, without having a well-balanced diet, we might find that our energy levels are up and down throughout the day, and we might be missing out on key nutrients from other foods.
How do I know how much sugar is in something?
Reading labels to see how much sugar you're getting is hard in Canada. We list sugar as the amount of TOTAL sugar in that food, not just the amount added. For example, the total sugar in a sweetened yogurt would include the added sugar, as well as the natural sugar in dairy. A comparable unsweetened yogurt would still have some amount of sugar on that label from the natural sugar in dairy. Some new labels will have a percentage beside the sugar amount - this percentage is based on eating 100g of TOTAL sugars, including those from whole foods. This is a general recommendation for the population, and may not make sense for your specific needs or the way you eat.
Why do I feel out of control around sugar?
The people who feel out of control around sugar are generally those who are restricting how much they have, or not giving themselves permission to eat all foods in satisfying amounts. The more you restrict something, especially sugar, the more deprived your brain feels and the more you'll want it.
Moving past this takes time and practice - it won't happen overnight. People with a great relationship with food will be able to enjoy satisfying amounts of their favourite treats when they want them without feeling out of control.
The take-away message for most people:
You can include treats and sugars in a health diet. Try to prioritize the basics of healthy eating, instead of focusing on what to cut out. All the recommendations out there are designed to meet the needs of most people and might not make sense for your specific health status and needs - meeting with a Registered Dietitian can help with that!
More nutrition questions? Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com
to get answers, or to book your Nutrition Consultation to go over your specific needs!
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian February is Heart Health Month! So what better time to focus on habits that can help improve our cardiovascular (or heart) health! Cardiovascular disease includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease. All of these factors can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. While some of your risk is genetic, many factors can be improved with lifestyle habits - which are in our control! Check out these ways you can improve your heart health this Heart Health Month! Know your risk level Many people may be walking around with high cholesterol or high blood pressure and not know it. If we don't know something is a problem, we can't fix it! Make sure to complete any tests your doctor recommends in a timely manner, and follow up afterwards. If you do find out there's a problem, it's much easier to start making changes when something is a smaller potential risk factor than after something serious has happened. Not sure where you're at? Ask your doctor if this is something you should monitor! Get enough exercise We don't have a magic pill that fixes everything, but exercise does come close! For heart health, exercise will help decrease your blood pressure and promote healthy cholesterol levels. The recommendation for most healthy Canadian adults is to aim for 150 minutes of "moderate to vigorous" exercise a week - this means your heart rate is up and you are breathing at least a bit harder than at rest. If you feel you fall short of that goal, try slowly increasing by 5-10 minutes a week as your body allows. Any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up counts! Watch your salt intake While we know we do need some salt or sodium in our diet, many of us eat too much salt. Much of this comes from processed foods or take out - it's not just about whether you add salt during cooking and at the table. For those who are at risk for high blood pressure, a high sodium intake can increase that risk, and decreasing your salt intake can help promote more normal blood pressure. Staying between 1800mg and 2300mg of sodium daily will make sure your body is getting what it needs without overdoing it. Try checking your labels to see if you're taking in more salt than you realize. Use the "percent daily value" on the right-hand side of the nutrition facts table - remember, 5% is a little bit, 15% is a lot! Increase your fibre intake Fibre does many great things for our body - including helping to improve your cholesterol levels, or maintain them in a healthy range. The total recommended amount of fibre daily is 20-25g for women and 30-38g for men - that's a lot!! Sources of fibre include vegetables, fruit, whole grains and whole grain products, nuts and seeds, and legumes. If you're choosing foods with a nutrition label, use the "percent daily value" to choose higher-fibre options. Remember to make changes in your fibre slowly and make sure you're properly hydrated to avoid any bowel upset. Remember, health isn't all or nothing! If you're ready to improve your heart health, pick one habit to focus on and figure out how you can implement in your daily life consistently! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE !
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Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian With a New Year often comes New Year's resolutions. The "New Year, New Me" energy is everywhere, especially in terms of health and fitness. But when it comes to actually achieving those goals, it can be a whole other story. Many people give up on their goals early on in the year - but a bit more thought up front and a dose of reality can help you set better resolutions and actually achieve them this year! Check out these tips to make 2025 the year you crush your resolutions! Set goals that are actions, not outcomes! Often people set goals like "be healthier", "lose weight", or "build muscle". While these can be great things to aim for, they are outcomes of other actions, not actions themselves. These outcomes happen because of other activities. For example, if the outcome you want is to build muscle, the actions you might focus on to achieve this are going to be strength training and meeting your protein goals. If you want to lose weight, your action goals might be developing a consistent exercise routine and focusing on balanced meals. These actions are things you are in control of, rather than outcomes of other activities. Be realistic about your life and yourself! Despite the "New Year New You" hype, you will still be yourself on January 1st, and many aspects of your life may still be the same as they were in 2024. We often set goals that are just too aspirational or that fit with someone else's lifestyle but not our actual reality. Maybe your goal is to exercise more so you plan to wake up at 5am every day to make this happen. But what if your reality is that you're just not a morning person, or you have a job with fluctuating shifts? A more realistic plan might be to find an exercise routine that you can do at a different time of day, or that is more flexible. The easier it is to fit your goal into your current life, the more likely you are to actually achieve it! Think through the steps you'll need to achieve your goals - and then plan for them! Setting a goal is only the first step to making it a reality. There are likely at least a few other steps you need to take to get there. Taking the time to figure out what those steps are and chipping away at them will help you make your goals a reality. For example, maybe your goal is to eat enough protein because you're trying to build or maintain muscle. Your steps might include meeting with a Registered Dietitian to find out how much protein you need and learn more about how to include it in your diet. Then maybe you need to learn to cook one or two new protein options or research recipes. Maybe you need get into the habit of meal planning. The main goal is just the tip of the iceberg - the steps behind it are what make it a reality. Let go of "all or nothing" thinking in your goals! When people "fail" at their resolutions, it's often because they pick goals that are inflexible or too extreme. When people can't stick to these rigid goals, they end up giving up, rather than figuring out how to adapt. Setting goals that are more flexible will make it easier to roll with the punches throughout the year, rather than throwing in the towel in the first month. For example, setting a goal of cutting out all sugar is very "all or nothing". The first time you're confronted with a treat while out or give into a craving, you might just give up. Changing the goal to eat less of specific sugary foods (but not cutting them out entirely) might be more realistic. You might even choose to pick a certain frequency that you'll enjoy them that is less than your current amount. Goals don't have to be extreme to help you still see improvements in your health and fitness! So tell us, what are your goals for 2025? By setting better and more realistic goals, and making plans for them, you can make changes to see big gains in your health and fitness this year! For more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com or click HERE for more information about our Nutrition Programs!