Recently enjoyed an early lunch with another couple at a neighborhood restaurant. She brought a slice of sour dough whole wheat bread because she didn't want any sugar. The bread served at the restaurant contained sugar because sugar helps bread to rise.
Sugars have been making headlines for years but the story about sugars is often incomplete and confusing. First sugars are a natural part of many foods and are a functional ingredient in others. Whether they're natural or added in the manufacturing process or during cooking or at the table, they do enhance taste, texture and the aroma of many foods.
I don't believe that one class of foods alone can cause weight gain. Put simply, we gain weight when we take in more calories than we burn no matter the source of the calories – fats, alcohol, carbohydrates or sugar. To avoid weight gain, we need to balance the number of calories we consume with the number of calories we expend. To lose weight, we need to either take in fewer calories or expend more.
I don't think that people with weight problems consume more sugars than normal people or have a special sweet tooth. In fact, I find that when I include something sweet in my diet it makes my reduced calorie diet more appealing when I'm trying to lose weight.
What do you do when your sweet tooth takes charge? Share you tips with us.
To you successful aging,
Ruthan Brodsky
Comments