National Sugar Awareness Week (14th-18th)

National Sugar Awareness Week (14^th-18th)

Chapa-De Indian Health Auburn Grass Valley | Medical Clinic

The average American consumes 150 to 170 pounds of refined sugars in one year. While it is okay to indulge from time to time, keeping track of your sugar intake is a large part of eating a healthy diet. A healthy diet plays a big role in an overall healthy life, both physically and mentally. This week, let’s learn about the role sugar plays in what we eat and how we can all improve our diets.

What is sugar?

Sucrose, the chemical name for sugar, is basically a simple carbohydrate, which is the body’s main energy source. However, sugar is high in calories and addictive.

While it is true the body needs some sugar to work correctly, eating large amounts of refined sugars is dangerous to your health. Natural sugars, which are found in fruits and vegetables, are what the body needs. Refined sugars are added to almost all processed foods we eat, meaning we are eating sugar even when we don’t realize it. Refined sugars are mostly found in sweets, soft drinks, and other processed foods.

Why is sugar harmful?

Eating too much sugar can lead to higher risks of:

Weight gain
Heart disease
Diabetes
Cancer
Depression
Accelerated aging
Lack of energy
Addiction to sugar
Click HERE to learn more about the negative affects of too much sugar.

How to monitor sugar intake

According to the American Heart Association, men should consume no more than 150 calories (9 teaspoons) of sugar per day and women should consume no more than 100 calories (6 teaspoons) of sugar a day. A 12-ounce can of Coke has 140 calories from sugar and a regular sized Snickers bar has 120 calories from sugar.

To lessen the sugars in your diet, try cutting back on:

Soft drinks
Fruit juices
Candies and sweets
Baked goods
Fruits canned in syrup
Low-fat or diet foods
Click HERE for more ways to limit the sugar in your diet.

Earlier this month we discussed our diabetes services. Sugar plays a huge part in diabetes. No matter your age, a diet that is high in calories from sugar contributes to weight gain, which increases your risk for type 2 diabetes. Click HERE for more information on the connection between sugar and diabetes.

Our final blog post this month will highlight the diabetes services offered at Chapa-De. Check back on January 27to learn more!

At Chapa-De, we believe a healthy diet is necessary to living a healthy life. Eating healthy can increase both your physical and mental health. Our goal is to help you advance your health and well-being in any and every way possible. We offer many classes and programs to help you learn about nutrition and health education. Please click HERE for a full calendar of our health and wellness programs.

For more information on our programs, or for general questions, please call our Auburn location at (530) 887-2810 or our Grass Valley location at (530) 477-8545 or visit us online at chapa-de.org.