but it is amazing how much change even simple foods endure through the processing stages . Take our daily bread for example ; each process it goes through from the wheat field to our plate removes nutrients , fibres , colours and flavour from the product . To compensate , the food industry created additives like food enhancers ( MSG ), colourings ( E-numbers 100-181 – watch out for highly toxic red E128 !) and of course added in basic sugar , to simulate flavours , textures and antioxidents that were now missing .
All in , processed foods actually lack the essential vitamins and minerals that we all need to stay healthy , especially our rapidly growing and developing children . Yet ironically , the chemicals that replace all the goodness , somehow manage to make these foods taste good , and we can ’ t help but like them – show me a child that doesn ’ t love gummy candy ? This is where the sugar addiction starts .
It ’ s simple really , the more sugar you eat , the more you want to eat . Your brain becomes used to it and you need to increase the quantity of your intake to achieve the synthetic feel-good factor . We ’ ve all opened the tub of ice-cream with the intention of only having a little bit , which of course turns into a big bit and then the bottom of the tub . And subsequently , we ’ ve all experienced the guilt and accompanying low feelings of a post-sugar binge .
Over time , our brain can start to interpret the good feelings that sugar consumption can induce as a form of reward and in some cases consumption levels can increase on a startling basis and essentially leading to eating disorders and health problems like bulimia and obesity . Research conducted by the University of Montreal and Boston College linked excessive glucose consumption to memory and cognitive deficiencies . Whilst it ’ s true that your brain needs glucose , over doing it can stop your brain from functioning properly . We ’ ve all made the mistake of feeding the kids sugary snacks on their return from school , then tried to get them to focus on their homework – it doesn ’ t happen !
Do we need to avoid sugar completely ?
In reality , it ’ s difficult to completely avoid free sugar , but we can take simple steps to try . The biggest change comes from eating real , unprocessed food . It ’ s the food that our bodies can most easily deal with . Whole grain products , such as whole cereal bread , are particularly good at sneaking in fibre , nutrients and minerals – all essentials in our child ’ s development and goodness that you don ’ t find in white bread and keeping us feeling fuller for longer .
Natural ingredients such as calcium in dairy products and vitamins found in fruit and vegetables all combine well to give your body what it needs , in the right quantities . Of course proteins found in lean meats , poultry and fish are vital components too .
Of course you can still get your ( natural ) sugar hit from fruit and feel good - after all nobody ever complained of a sugar come down after eating an apple !
But we all know that the good life is about moderation and there is the old adage of “ a little of what you fancy does you good ”. While the WHO ’ s sugar target of 30g per day may seem extreme , a few positive swaps in your daily diet will surely set you and your family off in the right direction , keeping your waistline in trim , visits to the Dentist at a minimum and maybe even less of a battle at homework time ! Everyone wins …
A little bit about me
I grew up in the 1980s when processed food was the main ingredient on my family ’ s dining table . Few people were talking of the effects of sugar , additives and pesticides upon our wellbeing and that of the environment . Research
UN WORLD DIABETES DAY
The 14th November is UN World Diabetes Day . Health organisations around the globe organise events throughout the month of November to raise awareness of diabetes . Events in Hong Kong include :
12th November - Hike for Youth Diabetes at Tai Tam Country Park http :// hikeyda . org . hk /
14th November – Dress in blue to support and raise awareness of diabetes
in this area was not that advanced at this time . Fast forward some 20 years and my son , at a very young age , was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes . It was a major game changer for us .
I started to look at everything we were eating and most importantly , what we needed to change . Diabetes had become part of our family life and for the sake of my son ’ s inclusion , we had to embrace his diabetes , and the way we were eating , together . Processed food is a thing of our past and we now try hard to only eat food when we know what is inside , without having to look at the label . Like any other family we eat rice , vegetables , eggs , meat , fish etc and from time to time we splurge out on cake . Of course processed food is not completely banished as we do still love to eat out , but we are just careful of our choices .
It took us around two months to wholly change the way we eat , but I can happily say it ’ s been worth it . Aside from my son ’ s health , change has been positive for the whole family and we especially saw a difference in our kids . They are calmer , sharper and more aware of what they need to grow up healthy . For me , I think my brain is clearer and I ’ m now able to work to my full capacity which is just as well as I am studying to be a dietician !
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