Think before you drink!

Think before you drink!

I saw this image the other week and thought I’d share it with you. Please share this article if you know someone who is always drinking one of these sugary drinks.

Think before you drink
Think before you drink

‘There is a 10% target when it comes to added sugar intake per person per day. The UK government scientists have now halved the recommended level of added sugar people should eat each day. The World Health Organisation has also said that people should aim to get just 5% of their daily calories from the sweet stuff. While there is no UK government health guideline for total sugars, the figure of 90g per day is used as a rule of thumb on labeling in Britain and across the EU.

That 90g equates to more than 22 small (4g) teaspoons of sugar. For example a 330ml can of regular Coca-Cola or Pepsi contains 35g – or almost nine teaspoons of sugar, all of it added! But a ready meal of sweet and sour chicken can also contain more than 22g or five-and-a-half teaspoons, some of which is naturally occurring in the pineapple’.

So it’s very confusing when trying to work out how much added sugar you’ve actually consumed!

The National Diet & Nutrition Survey, rolling programme 2008-12 report found that all age groups were eating more added sugar than the 11% level, but that children were exceeding it to the greatest degree.

Where different age groups get their sugar from: I’ve mentioned the highest percentages from each category.

Children 1.5-3 yrs (27% from soft drinks)

Children 4-10 yrs (30% from soft drinks)

Teenagers 11-18 yrs (40% from soft drinks)

Adults 19-64 yrs (26% from sugar, sweets, jams)

Adults 65+ yrs (29% from cereals, cakes, biscuits)

Source: National Diet & Nutrition Survey, rolling programme 2008-12

See BBC news website here for more info >>>

To help reduce obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses, we can use the simple energy balance equation and focus on weight loss through regular exercise and healthy eating and weight maintenance equation.

–       Energy In > Energy Out = Weight Gain (most sedentary, inactive people fall into this category. The energy consumed through food/drink is greater than the energy used throughout the daily activities, which results in weight gain).

–       Energy In < Energy Out = Weight Loss (regular exercises who eat healthily and those who don’t exercise but may not eat properly. The energy in is less than the energy used resulting in weight loss.

–       Energy In = Energy Out = Weight Maintenance (Most important equation to use)

References – BBC news, National Diet & Nutrition Survey