I think all dental professionals never really “switch off” from the job, and so it was with interest that I read an article in The Sunday Times this week. The article detailed how the snacks on our supermarket shelves that are branded as the “healthy”, low-fat snacks can actually contain more than 3 times the amount of sugar than chocolate ice cream. So, these healthy alternatives that we put in our children’s lunchboxes or take to work are often sweetened with extra sugar to improve the taste (taste that was lost when the food industry focused its attention on reducing saturated fats in foods a while ago), and often end up with a higher sugar content than the conventional “regular” alternative. Tinned foods are often over sweetened and some supermarket made sushi were even found to be sprinkled with sugar.
Leading health experts are concerned that this reliance on sugar in processed foods could not only cause obesity, but also heart disease, diabetes and tooth decay.
One example given in the article was Kellogg’s Special K Fruits of the Forest bars, which are promoted as a healthy alternative during slimming. However, they contain a whooping 39% sugar (including 5 different types of sugar AND an artificial sweetener too!), which is a higher proportion than in the company’s Coco Pops cereal! Even Walkers “Baked” low fat crisps were found to contain 16 times more sugar than the regular variety and Yeo Valley natural yoghurt has 8.4g of sugar in it’s low fat version compared to 6.6g in the regular version. Despite a spokesperson from Kellogg’s defending the ingredients of their Special K bar by saying that the sugar content was equivalent to less than 2 teaspoons of sugar, it does highlight the need to look more closely at food labelling to discover the “hidden sugars” in our diets. Words like fructose, dextrose and glycerol are all types of sugars and should be looked for on food labels. We know of the proven link between sugar in our diet and tooth decay, but when food manufacturers are “sneaking” sugar into so many of our foods, we often unwittingly consume higher levels of sugar than is recommended (which is just 6 teaspoons per day according to the American Heart Association). So, be extra vigilant with food labels, check the levels of sugar contained in “low fat” or “healthy” foods and always keep sugary foods to mealtimes only, try to avoid snacking between meals. Speak to anyone of the team at Absolute Dental if you would like more advice when it comes to a healthy diet.
Leading health experts are concerned that this reliance on sugar in processed foods could not only cause obesity, but also heart disease, diabetes and tooth decay.
One example given in the article was Kellogg’s Special K Fruits of the Forest bars, which are promoted as a healthy alternative during slimming. However, they contain a whooping 39% sugar (including 5 different types of sugar AND an artificial sweetener too!), which is a higher proportion than in the company’s Coco Pops cereal! Even Walkers “Baked” low fat crisps were found to contain 16 times more sugar than the regular variety and Yeo Valley natural yoghurt has 8.4g of sugar in it’s low fat version compared to 6.6g in the regular version. Despite a spokesperson from Kellogg’s defending the ingredients of their Special K bar by saying that the sugar content was equivalent to less than 2 teaspoons of sugar, it does highlight the need to look more closely at food labelling to discover the “hidden sugars” in our diets. Words like fructose, dextrose and glycerol are all types of sugars and should be looked for on food labels. We know of the proven link between sugar in our diet and tooth decay, but when food manufacturers are “sneaking” sugar into so many of our foods, we often unwittingly consume higher levels of sugar than is recommended (which is just 6 teaspoons per day according to the American Heart Association). So, be extra vigilant with food labels, check the levels of sugar contained in “low fat” or “healthy” foods and always keep sugary foods to mealtimes only, try to avoid snacking between meals. Speak to anyone of the team at Absolute Dental if you would like more advice when it comes to a healthy diet.
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