Page 38 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

HEALTH & HEALING
HEAL TH & HEALING
MY AFRIKA
WHOLENESS

According to Prof Peter Saunders, how hard it can be to lose a few number of calories in your meal.
“While sugar has always been part pounds, and if you do, how hard To allow for this, nutritionists have
of the human diet, it is only in it is to keep yourself from gaining developed the glycaemic index (GI),
modern times that we have started it back. That is because there are a ranking of carbohydrates accord-
to consume large amounts of free mechanisms that actively regulate ing to the extent to which they
sugars, i.e. sugars that have been to your weight. It’s as though your raise blood sugar levels after being
some extent refined. This includes body decides what your weight eaten. High GI foods such as those
the sugar that we add when we should be, and does its best to containing free sugars and also pota-
are cooking or put into our tea or counter any change in how much toes, white bread and white rice, are
coffee, and the surprisingly large you eat or how active you are. So broken down quickly and cause rap-
amounts that manufacturers add to it’s not just a matter of subtracting id increases and then decreases in
soft drinks, sweets and also other the energy you use blood sugar. Low GI foods, includ-
foods we don’t generally think of in exercise ing most fruit and vegetables, pulses
as sweet, such as many ready-made from the and wholegrain foods, are digested
meals. A tablespoon of ketchup calo- and absorbed slowly, and the rises
contains roughly a teaspoon of free ries and falls in blood sugar are smaller
sugar and a single tin of soft drink in and slower. That makes these foods
may contain as much as ten tea- the better for weight con-
spoons. The sugars in fruit juice and food trol because they
honey are also free; in honey the you help control
refining has been done by the bees. eat. appetite and
Free sugars have to be considered The delay hun-
separately from those naturally pres- question ger. They
ent in fully unrefined forms because is also are also
they have a greater effect on health.” about how better
what you eat for
In his article, Professor Saunders and what you
goes on to explain that the WHO do affect the
recommended a daily intake of free weight con-
sugars as less than 10% of total trolling mecha-
energy intake with a conditional rec- nisms, and despite
ommendation that the proportion years of research
should be less than 5%. 5% would we still have only a
translate to about 6 teaspoons of partial understanding
free sugars per day for anyone 11 of them… walking for
years or older and less for young an extra 20 minutes every
children. He says further that the day isn’t going to take 15
food industry (whose fortunes are pounds off if you keep it
obviously firmly tied to those of the up for a year, whatever the food di-
sugar industry) has been lobbying industry says. While we don’t yet
against the WHO recommendations know how weight is regulated, we abet-
saying that the real problem is too do understand how some of the ics, by the
little exercise and that calories are mechanisms work. For example, way, because they
just calories therefore sugars should when your blood glucose is low, you also do not cause large increases in
not be singled out in general nor feel hungry. After you have eaten, insulin levels.
soft drinks in particular, saying that your blood glucose rises and you This illustrates why free sugars have
a can of Coca-Cola has calories no longer feel hungry, so you stop been so important in the rise of
equivalent to two slices of whole eating. This clearly contributes to obesity. The worldwide increase in
wheat bread that can be burnt off matching your food intake to the the consumption of soft drinks has
by a brisk 20-minute walk. amount of energy you are using. been especially important because
we seem to be able to drink large
Saunders has this to say in rebuttal, The rise in blood sugar does not, quantities without dulling our
“Neither argument stands up. Think however, depend only on the appetites. This has been especially

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