worried about sugar...

[Yamin151]

You might want to look at a paleo diet. There are a number of good books and web sites to there to get you going. You don't need to do without chocolate, you can buy raw chocolate bars made with Xylitol in health food shops, or even better make your own. Very dark chocolate has very little sugar in, it certainly won't rot teeth or cause diabetes - you simply cannot eat enough 90% choc You can get 100% too.

There is a company called Ugg foods that does lots of Paleo goodies that have no sugar in. They come in packs so you add eggs and light olive oil and then just shove them in the oven. You can make a multitude of things using their packs (they have lots of recipes on their site http://www.uggfoods.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is no point in ditching the sugar if you don't ditch the white stuff too because they convert immediately into sugar anyway (so even if you do eat grain still you would need to be a wholefoody. Too much fruit can actually be worse than eating Glucose. It is fructose that really causes the problems, so too much fruit juice is really not good, especially for teeth. A glass of orange juice has as much sugar in as a Coke. Rice Syrup is supposed to be the best sugar replacement because it doesn't have any fructose in it. You might as well be eating sugar if you have things like sweet freedom or Agave Syrup.

If you use my fitness pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; you can log the amount of sugars that you eat, which is useful to get you started. It is amazing how much sugar is in carrots! The recommended daily amount of sugar is a meagre 25g and I can tell you it is nigh on impossible to reach this even without grains.

In regards to stopping sugar this book is a really good one. Lots of explanation as to why and also lots of help in replacing foods and lots of really great recipes.

On the subject of Paleo these are helpful sites .
http://www.amazingpaleo.com/about-me/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://tinyurl.com/84ud6y3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.paleofood.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This site gives you an idea of how much sugar there is in some common foods
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262978.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh and one last thing if you do decide to give up sugar you will feel awful for a couple of weeks but afterwards you are likely to feel amazing, more energy, clear headed, better memory and and and...

Was that in response to my post or just in general? A very comprehensive response and thank you, but I'm afraid I'm a strong exponent of the "everything in moderation diet" rather than going paleo, or veggie, or giving up ANY food group completely. In the last few centuries, life expectancy has gone up and up and up, it's only now, with the must have it all overindulgence attitude that life expectancy is in danger of falling again. With a diet rich in all kinds of foods, including sugar (doesn't give much but I'm not giving up birthday cake offered by anyone anytime soon, sugar in it or not!), combined with a healthy lifestyle, there is no need to give up sugar, or even, dare I say it, the odd trashy Gregg's sausage roll (ooh the temptation). I believe complete denial is the wrong way to go.
Having said thus much, each to his own, but this isn't one for me. But if someone wants to then your info will be fantastic.

[salsa]

I've watched the program and will definitely get my boys to watch it.
Here is the petition. I think education is key and if the government will not fund it, then maybe a tax on sugary drinks is the last resort. So far self regulation is not working for the majority.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/106651" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Eccentric]

You might want to look at a paleo diet. There are a number of good books and web sites to there to get you going. You don't need to do without chocolate, you can buy raw chocolate bars made with Xylitol in health food shops, or even better make your own. Very dark chocolate has very little sugar in, it certainly won't rot teeth or cause diabetes - you simply cannot eat enough 90% choc You can get 100% too.

There is a company called Ugg foods that does lots of Paleo goodies that have no sugar in. They come in packs so you add eggs and light olive oil and then just shove them in the oven. You can make a multitude of things using their packs (they have lots of recipes on their site http://www.uggfoods.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is no point in ditching the sugar if you don't ditch the white stuff too because they convert immediately into sugar anyway (so even if you do eat grain still you would need to be a wholefoody. Too much fruit can actually be worse than eating Glucose. It is fructose that really causes the problems, so too much fruit juice is really not good, especially for teeth. A glass of orange juice has as much sugar in as a Coke. Rice Syrup is supposed to be the best sugar replacement because it doesn't have any fructose in it. You might as well be eating sugar if you have things like sweet freedom or Agave Syrup.

If you use my fitness pal https://www.myfitnesspal.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; you can log the amount of sugars that you eat, which is useful to get you started. It is amazing how much sugar is in carrots! The recommended daily amount of sugar is a meagre 25g and I can tell you it is nigh on impossible to reach this even without grains.

In regards to stopping sugar this book is a really good one. Lots of explanation as to why and also lots of help in replacing foods and lots of really great recipes.

On the subject of Paleo these are helpful sites .
http://www.amazingpaleo.com/about-me/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://tinyurl.com/84ud6y3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.paleofood.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This site gives you an idea of how much sugar there is in some common foods
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262978.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh and one last thing if you do decide to give up sugar you will feel awful for a couple of weeks but afterwards you are likely to feel amazing, more energy, clear headed, better memory and and and...

Was that in response to my post or just in general? A very comprehensive response and thank you, but I'm afraid I'm a strong exponent of the "everything in moderation diet" rather than going paleo, or veggie, or giving up ANY food group completely. In the last few centuries, life expectancy has gone up and up and up, it's only now, with the must have it all overindulgence attitude that life expectancy is in danger of falling again. With a diet rich in all kinds of foods, including sugar (doesn't give much but I'm not giving up birthday cake offered by anyone anytime soon, sugar in it or not!), combined with a healthy lifestyle, there is no need to give up sugar, or even, dare I say it, the odd trashy Gregg's sausage roll (ooh the temptation). I believe complete denial is the wrong way to go.
Having said thus much, each to his own, but this isn't one for me. But if someone wants to then your info will be fantastic.

I didn't put my post very well. I agree with the all in moderation thing completely. The Paleo sites and the other info help to reduce sugar content. I find that without these things it is impossible to stay anywhere near the 25g recommended for adults a day 30g for children. The sites offer information on a different way of cooking that keeps sugar content down but still enables you to eat yummy stuff and also keeps that bad fats at bay. I think that we have learnt (and that is all of us) to cook and eat in a certain way and have forgotten that even 50 years ago a staple meal was meat and two veg. No one ate cereal for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch or puddings except on Sundays. It is these people who are bringing the current left expectancy up. I am not so sure that our children's generation or even ours will live so long and if they do we want them to live healthily not with arthritis (and other inflammatory diseases), diabetes, cancers, and heart disease.
My Grandmother is 106 on Wednesday (and until very recently was completely mentally and physically OK - she ate protein such as eggs for breakfast often with left over veggies from supper the night before, cold cuts of meat (just a little) and veggies for lunch and meat or fish and two veg for supper. Puddings were rare and home made and if she ate sweet stuff ever it was minimal (one chocolate a week), she drank lots of tea very little alcohol. Didn't eat too much. Grew their veg in the garden and ate what was in season. She took a lot more exercise than our generation and the exercise was mostly walking. Basically that generation the one that have longevity ate a diet that was not far off a paleo diet with potatoes thrown in. Most people only ate one loaf of bread a week per family, they didn't eat lots of cheese or cream, they didn't buy cakes or biscuits or sausage rolls, they had to make them so they were a rarity.

All the latest evidence shows that it is not saturated fats that causes problems in fact they are healthy and needed by our bodies, it is sugar, hydrogenated and rancid fats that cause the problem. I was fascinated to find that when I thought I was eating very little sugar it was actually over 100g a day. using the pale sites has helped me to reduce that hugely for me and my family. Good luck with it all. I have found it an interesting journey.

[doodles]

Moderation in everything is the way here. Butter, cream and chocolate all come into this house but artificial sweeteners and "ready" products tend not to.

After DS has played 80 minutes of hard and fast rugby I'm not going to say no to a bar of chocolate but I will to the can of diet coke as it's not the right way to rehydrate. DS2 has a penchant for sweet things but he's a grazer rather than a big meal eater and if he can keep away from the highs and lows this does diminish. I've had some great advice from a good friend and things are better.

I've just looked at the Ugg food website and the products seem very expensive and I would suggest that you could make the same from scratch far cheaper. Some of the recipes look interesting though.

Don't deny any food, that tends to cause it's own problems, but teach them that treats are just that treats and the main components of their diets should be fruit, veg, fish, meat etc etc

(The odd Greggs sausage roll and white bread bacon sarnie go down very well too )

[salsa]

Everyone seems to agree with the "everything in moderation" motto. The key is knowing what [/i]is moderation. We often think that if we don't have a full cake every day that we are eating with moderation, but are we? It's the hidden sugars and the minimal amount that we need which are the problem.
Moderation is 30 grams for children. Now, try and get them to keep to that!
In the program, Jamie is horrified as what he thought was a very healthy way of eating in a day had masses of sugar. I'm sure most of us would be equally horrified if our daily food intake was analysed in the same way.
What we need is education, for children and parents. Thank you Eccentric for the information and happy birthday to your grandmother! Did she get a telegram from the queen?

[doodles]

I think packaging needs to be easier to understand - a plain "this product contains" would be better than standing in the food aisle doing mental maths gymnastics. We all got so hung up on, calories, salt, fats and cholesterol that sugar rather took a back seat.

[Yamin151]

There is legislation being pushed through in the USA right now to declare 'added sugars' on packaging.

I think a lot of the older generation got a daily pud actually, but as pointed out, it was always home made and a modest portion. And they were all walking everywhere with fewer cars and no screens! And daily pud or not, its the vast amount we eat now and as you say the addition of crappy fats that is the issue.

And yes, now you say about the info on paleo just to minimise sugar I shall certainly take a look. Thank you

[Eccentric]

Yes my Granny got a telegram from the queen for her 100th. None since then though.

[Eccentric]

The other interesting thing I learnt on my journey to reduce sugar was that taste buds regenerate themselves. Taste buds go through a life cycle where they grow from basal cells into taste cells and then die and are sloughed away, their normal life cycle is anywhere from 10 days to two weeks. Burning your tongue on hot foods can kill taste buds but they grow back. The ability to taste bitterness decreases in women after of menopause. If you go for 2 weeks without sweet foods less sweet things taste much sweeter. The body is programmed to search out sweet things so presumably it adapts to what is available and if over a prolonged period carrots and beetroot are the only sweet things available they begin to taste much sweeter.

[JaneEyre]

I cannot but smile each time I read this poem:

http://www.pamayres.com/index.php/2011/ ... -me-teeth/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;