Tackling Hidden Sugars for A Healthier Menopause
The Sweet Struggle: Overcoming Sugar in Our Diets
How often have you found yourself reaching for that sugary treat, only to regret it soon after? Many clients express their struggles with sugar, describing feelings of losing control once they've had a bite. Perhaps it results in swollen joints or a downcast mood. Sound familiar? If so, let's discuss how we can navigate this and reduce sugar from our diet.
Sugar, sadly, lurks everywhere, and it's almost like playing detective to discover its hiding spots. The graph provided illuminates the shocking fact of how much sugar we consume each year!
To provide some perspective, the average person today consumes a staggering 30-50 pounds (approximately 13.6-22.7 kg) more sugar annually than they did three decades ago. This raises a significant question: where is all this additional sugar in our diets coming from?
Sugar's Secret Spots
The primary offenders are added sugars. These are the sugars purposely incorporated into foods and drinks to enhance sweetness. Culprits include sweets, cakes, doughnuts, pastries, ice creams, fizzy drinks, some coffee concoctions, and even condiments like ketchup. Shockingly, around 75% of all pre-packaged and prepared foods and beverages have added sugars.
While those might sound like the usual suspects, sugar sneaks into unexpected foods too. Think about processed items like bread, pizza, cereals, low-fat yoghurts, granola bars, crackers, and even flavoured milks. Regardless of the food's savoury nature, during digestion, many carbohydrates convert into high sugar levels.
Unveiling the Many Faces of Sugar in Processed Foods
Recognizing these names is a crucial step in making more informed choices about the foods we consume, especially during a life stage when managing sugar intake becomes even more important. Here is just a few names for sugars you may see you packaging.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): A sweetener made from corn syrup, known for its high fructose content.
Dextrose: A form of glucose derived from starches.
Maltose: Sugar produced from the malting of grains, like barley.
Sucrose: The scientific name for table sugar, it's often extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets.
Agave Nectar: Derived from the agave plant; it's sweeter than regular sugar and often used in 'natural' food products.
Cane Juice and Cane Juice Crystals: These terms are often used to describe sugar derived from sugar cane but not yet processed into white sugar.
Barley Malt: A sweetener derived from sprouted barley, used in a variety of foods.
Rice Syrup: A sweetener made from fermented cooked rice.
Molasses: A thick, dark syrup produced during the refining of sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar.
Sugar and Midlife Health Concerns
For midlife and menopausal women, managing sugar intake becomes even more crucial. Fluctuating hormones during this phase can make you more susceptible to the adverse effects of sugar. High sugar consumption can exacerbate menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, mood swings, blood sugar management and weight gain. Moreover, it can impact your skin's elasticity and overall appearance, contributing to accelerated ageing.
Kick Your Sugar Habit with This Two-Step Plan
Tackling sugar cravings might appear daunting initially. However, by breaking it down into actionable steps, it becomes manageable:
Prioritise Gut Health: Enhance and heal your gut: Key Strategies
Diversify Your Diet: Eat various fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes to promote beneficial gut bacteria.
Probiotic and Prebiotic Foods: Include fermented foods like yogurt and kefir (probiotics) and fibre-rich foods like garlic and bananas (prebiotics) in your diet.
Stay Hydrated: Drink enough water to aid digestion and maintain intestinal health.
Manage Stress: Utilize relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation to reduce stress's impact on gut health.
Exercise Regularly: Physical activity can improve gut motility and microbiome diversity.
Limit Antibiotics and Processed Foods: Use antibiotics only when necessary and reduce intake of processed foods and artificial sweeteners.
Gut-Healing Supplements: Consider supplements like L-glutamine and omega-3 fatty acids, but consult a healthcare professional first.
Regular Health Checks: Monitor gut health changes, especially during midlife and menopause.
Quality Sleep: Ensure good sleep patterns to support gut health.
Consume Sufficient Protein: To ensure you're getting enough protein, aim for a palm-sized portion with every meal. This amount is typically adequate for most adults. Including a suitable portion of protein in your diet helps produce serotonin and other neurotransmitters, stabilising blood sugar and ensuring you feel satiated and calm. This approach simplifies meal planning and can be easily adapted to individual needs and appetites.
The surest way to limit sugar is by opting for wholesome, unprocessed food. Here's a delicious, sugar-conscious menu to inspire you, with more recipes available on our website.
Sugar-Limited, Flavour-Full Menu
Breakfast: Coffee with 1-2 Tbsp organic cream, 3-egg omelette with spinach, mushrooms, and onions; accompanied by a side of strawberries.
Lunch: Greek salad featuring chicken, mixed greens, cucumber, red onion, tomato, red bell pepper, chickpeas, olives, feta, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
Snack: Full-fat Greek yogurt with blueberries and slivered almonds.
Dinner: Stir-fry with grass-fed steak, broccoli, carrots, peppers, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, brown rice or quinoa
Bedtime Snack: Apple with natural peanut butter.
Seeking Guidance on Reducing Sugar?
Embarking on a sugar-reduced journey can be challenging. Begin by eliminating the evident culprits: sweets, sugary cereals, and fizzy drinks. As you gain confidence, inspect the hidden sugars in your pantry. Always lean towards real, wholesome foods. Remember, I’mhere to guide and support.
Need tailored advice on diminishing sugar in your diet? Schedule a free Discovery call . Your health is worth the commitment. Book a free discovery call to find out how I can help you on this journey. Embrace the vibrant life you deserve with the right nutritional guidance.
