On Wednesday 25th April we were lucky enough to have Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach Suzy Glaskie join us on Twitter for a Tweetchat discussing all things sugar! Suzy is an expert in health matters and is especially knowledgeable about sugar and the dangers of it in our diets. Together we chose 5 questions we thought would provoke discussion with our followers. The first question was topically about the recent Sugar Tax.
Suzy was quick to agree with the Sugar Tax, stating, “We’re now facing an epidemic of Obesity and Type 2 diabetes and sugar is a key driver of this. We are looking at the first generation of kids who’ll live shorter lives than their parents – that is just hideous and it’s down to what they’re eating.” We completely agreed with Suzy, we love the fact that this topic is on everyone’s lips and that the government are facing up to the issue. Here is what a few of our followers thought..
This also sparked another discussion about how much sugar there is in everyday products and how hard it is as a parent to keep your children away from the sweet stuff.
We then talked about the hidden sugars that are everywhere, making it so hard to cut it out completely!
We then got on to our next question, what do you think should be taxed next by the Government?
Personally, we think all sweets & confectionary that are at eye level for children in shops should be up next. Better still, there should be a ban on these products at all checkouts as these products encourage children to want and need them! Suzy agreed and also talked about clamping down of breakfast cereals which she described as ‘sweeties in box with added this and added that to make it appeal to parents’! Here are ideas our followers had..
Some really strong feelings about what should be taxed next, breakfast cereals, baby food (we read 20 plus ingredients in a bottle of formula once including sugars and sweeteners!) and confectionary too. Also an interesting point made that schools and parents need to educate more about the dangers of sugar, which we totally agree with. The next question was about if sugar is addictive and what tips anyone has to help the cravings.
We strongly believe sugar is addictive, the hormonal cascade upon consumption (or even the thought of consumption) is fascinating & the evidence demonstrating it's influence on the brain and it's receptors is also very compelling and thought provoking! Suzy agreed and told us how “not a week goes by without me talking to someone who is in absolute despair as they can't stop eating sugar. And that includes doctors, dentists, nurses – i.e. people who know exactly what it's doing to them. The grip it has on them is really dreadful.” Here is what others had to say about it..
Suzy made a really good point about our workplace culture being all about eating treats and cakes every 5 minutes! She says “Mindfully enjoying a piece of birthday cake or whatever is lovely - I had a lovely tiramisu yesterday and enjoyed every bit! We need to make people aware of their food choices.”
Now question 4 was all about the effects of eating sugar. There is evidence that suggests sugar has a role in many diseases and especially the proliferation of NAFLD, teeth caries etc. In our opinion, it is a mood-altering drug! Suzy knows all about the effects as she said she “was on a non-stop sugar rollercoaster for 44 years without having any idea. All that shakiness and being 'hangry' all the time - thank goodness I know better finally!” Here is what you guys thought..
The last question was all about hidden sugars and where have you found sugar when you were least expecting it! We found it in Chorizo and Salami and were pretty shocked about that!
Suzy told us it’s unbelievable what they put sugar in, “It's just so cheap and an easy replacement for other, more expensive ingredients (like fruit). A low-fat yoghurt would be inedible without all the added sugar: it's fat that makes food taste good.”
It was so interesting to hear what everyone else had discovered had hidden sugar in too!
It was a fantastic hour of discussion and we are so grateful to everyone that joined in, especially Suzy, we loved having her thoughts and expertise on the subject. It really is an important topic and as Suzy said at the end “ the more it is talked about the better!”
#sugarchat
All information provided on our website and within our articles is simply information, opinion, anecdotal thoughts and experiences to provide you with the tools to thrive.
It is not intended to treat or diagnose symptoms and is definitely not intended to be misconstrued for medical advice. We always advise you seek the advice of a trained professional when implementing any changes to your lifestyle and dietary habits.
We do however recommend seeking the services of a trained professional who questions the conventional wisdom to enable you to become the best version of yourself.
