New Government Guidelines on Sugar intake:

Scientist have produced new guidelines that they would like the government to implement based on studies into diets. The new guidelines state that the amount of (added) sugar in the diet need to be reduced by half from the current recommended daily allowance. Clearly based on the experience that both Katie and I have had on this diet we think this is a good step forward. I think this is hopefully a step in the right direction in terms of acknowledging that carbohydrates are at least as much to blame for people being overweight as fat it.

The article states that the main source, or at least it focuses on, drinking high sugar soft drinks as these contain a LOT of sugar. It all links in to diabetes as well as the sugar is causing insulin levels to spike. As I have said before not only does insulin regulate sugar but it also impacts fat. Insulin says to the body hey I have loads of sugar so I don’t need fat for energy stick it all in storage AND make sure none gets out of storage as that would be a waste.

I have to admit I have not read the whole 300 odd page report as I don’t have time but nevertheless this is something that raises the awareness of the importance of regulating carbohydrates. Having read their press release it still states that starchy carbs are ok, to be fair along with carbs in fruit this is probably where we are going to get our limited carbs from once we are only trying to maintain weight rather than lose it. It also mentions getting plenty of fibre in your diet.

It uses the term “free sugars” and I am not sure if this is the same or similar to net carbs? (Think it is a shame that it is far from the same thing) and recommends that adults only consume 30g a day, not a lot when most people look at what they are eating. It also clearly states that sugary beverages (i.e. too many carbs) are the cause of an increase in BMI. Too many carbs = overweight.

“The evidence is stark – too much sugar is harmful to health and we all need to cut back. The clear and consistent link between a high-sugar diet and conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes is the wake-up call we need to rethink our diet” A quote from the chair of the group that produced the article.

Yet looking in the notes it says that carbs should still form 50% of energy and our diets should still be based on them. Overall all it is really saying is that we need to reduce the sugar from things like soft drinks and honey. So despite the big headlines and the quote above, really they are not changing much at all, basically get more sugar from fruit than from unhealthy snacks and drinks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report