Roadrunner Zambia
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact Me

Enlightenment

Sugar Bombs! Don't Be A Victim!

5/3/2021

18 Comments

 
She did it again! My wife struck again! This is part two of misguided food choices and how they can come back to haunt you if you're not careful. Here's what went down: buzzing from the bweshako umubili nostalgia we went out for an anniversary rooftop dinner (🗣️ichupo chisuma) at an upper mwamba venue in the city. It was a bit chilly and my wife proceeded to order some tea as a drink option. It arrived and she demanded brown sugar on the side. I asked for her reasoning and she just laughed because she knew what was coming next and that I was building up to something. The fact is many of us find ourselves in similar positions where we may overindulge in things such brown sugar or honey with our tea and we think it's okay because it's healthy...or is it? Let's explore this notion together.

Honey
Replacing all sugar with honey and proceeding to consume it in abundance is no healthy alternative. Overindulge and you're still going to get fat. The biggest advantage honey has over regular sugar is that it doesn't jack up your insulin and blood sugar levels so dramatically. It has other side benefits of preventing acid reflux, providing antioxidant properties, relieving cold & flu symptoms while also being able to soothe the throat. The downside is honey has more calories than sugar, and ultimately energy balance (what you eat vs what you expend) is what determines whether you lose or gain weight. Manage your intake of honey to mitigate unwanted weight gain while you enjoy some of additional benefits mentioned above.

Verdict:   Consume, don't over consume - it's not a free pass to the sweet side of life.

Brown Sugar
Sugar is sugar and the difference between white and brown sugar is incredibly negligible. You save maybe a calorie per serving and gain a few additional minerals in very low quantities but guess what, it's still sugar and it's still going to do the damage.

Verdict: Nutritionally, brown sugar and white sugar have very little separating them. You can adapt yourself to not need sugar in tea ☕ over time, but if that fails and you want to err on the side of caution then perhaps a sugar alternative in the form of stevia can be considered. Stevia is a plant extract sweetener that has no calories. It's available in health stores locally. I won't say much more than that because I'm not in the business of free marketing😔 Ask around, you'll find it.

Fruit Juice
100% fruit juice? Partially true. They probably did use real fruit, the problem is it's not just fruit in there. There's other things (mostly sugar and artificial sweeteners) that are added to enhance the taste and keep you buying the product because 'hey! It tastes good and it's healthy!'. It's likely not. My advice? Buy a blender and make your own 100% fruit juice. Ever noticed that the one you buy in the shop and the one you make yourself tastes different? Ever wonder why? My thoughts on this remain unchanged from a previous blog. 

Verdict: If you buy it then it's because you just want juice, not because you want to be healthy because at the end of the day if you didn't squeeze those oranges yourself then the words 'pure', or '100% fruit' shouldn't entice you.

Yogurt
It isn't as healthy as you think because it retains a very high sugar content. It doesn't matter if it's low fat, and unless the food label under carbohydrates lists acceptable sugar content then your default conclusion should be that it's a sugar bomb. When you're joyfully taking spoonful's dismiss the notion that what you're doing is healthy eating.

Verdict: If you want healthy yogurt options then opt for Greek yogurt or natural unflavored yogurt. Feel free to top up with some fruit if the taste is too overwhelming for you. If you're after the potential digestive benefits then look to your very own local product --> mabisi.

Sugar-Free Gum & Energy Bars
Sugar-free gum is usually what it says. Just look for a seal of approval by a dental association i.e. South African Dental Association or American Dental Association on the package. It's a useful aid for dieting purposes.
Some energy bars have attractive human beings on the packaging in an effort to rope you in and make you believe what's being sold is commonly consumed by the Adonis's among us. Unless evidence exists (via the nutrition label) to the contrary you must assume that most energy bars are sugar bombs.

Verdict: On sugar free gum I'll concede. They're useful for managing cravings and appetite while helping you avoid cavities. Just note that you may experience an increase in gas issues due to constant swallowing of air as you chew. So, fresh up top and dirty down below. On energy bars you're better off grabbing a banana 🍌 or piece of fruit if you need a lift. If you insist on energy bars look out for 'lite' options.

Ketchup/Tomato Sauce/BBQ Sauce
Childhood has conditioned us to eat chips with ketchup. In fact, if there's no ketchup available then the chips just don't taste the same. Despite ketchup and many other popular sauces not having a sweet taste, they're loaded with sugar.

Verdict: Minimize your intake of ketchup and other sauces. It does more for taste than it does for health. Alternatively, spend an extra 10-20 minutes on the treadmill if you insist on consuming the same quantities. Always look to balance your food intake with your energy expenditure.


I hope this all helps you make better decisions. Don't mislead yourself when you're making purchases for these products and proceeding to consume them in excess.
Picture
18 Comments
Christine
5/2/2021 11:30:15 pm

Overindulge and you're still going to get fat.🤣🤣🤣 wow!!!.
The fruit juice one has always been the biggest fraud. I just realised the cranberry juice by Rhodes has more apple juice than cranberry juice and all the sugar in there had me cringing! I absolutely agree with you saying blend your own fruits.

Reply
Given Majula
5/2/2021 11:44:36 pm

🤣🤣 a brother didn’t hold on this one !!! Enjoyed the blog 😃

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:04:27 am

Nope! I did not hold back on this. The problem with sugar bombs is they tend to explode on people's bellies, waistlines, and thighs. I want to help people avoid becoming a casualty!

Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:02:01 am

Lol, facts. Honey and all these other things don't exempt you from weight gain.

Shock of your life? Lol. Fruit juice retains incredible backing despite most of them drowning the fruit they claim it contains in additional sugar. People need to pay more attention to nutritional labels, specifically the carbs section like you did. The amount of sugar in grams listed is shocking. 100% fruit? More like 100% sugar! So yeah, make your own fruit juice if health is what you're interested in.

Reply
Yakobe Zulu
5/2/2021 11:33:53 pm

Thanks for sharing

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:07:35 am

You’re welcome my brother!

Reply
Deborah
5/2/2021 11:59:19 pm

Lovely write up. I love the infor regarding honey, we shall consume but not over consume

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:08:46 am

Thank you😊 I’m happy you learnt something from it.

Reply
D'lo
5/3/2021 12:21:38 am

Great article. Greek yogurt is too expensive. The problem we have is that health food is very expensive.

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:11:05 am

Aunty D😁
I disagree. You can’t put a price on health. Invest in your nutrition because honestly it pays the best dividends.

Reply
Chileshe
5/3/2021 12:54:50 am

Thanks for clearing up the common misconceptions regarding food labelling. Lots of products claim to be healthier than they actually are. What's your take on the soft drinks that say 'zero sugar'? Am I better off having one of those than a glass of fruit juice?

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:28:26 am

You’re welcome 😊 the truth is something is always healthy until you read the nutrition label and it’s......SURPRISE!

Zero sugar is better than ordinary drinks when consumed in moderation if you have weight concerns. It’s not a free pass to consuming as much as you feel like drinking though. Current research suggests that artificial sweeteners can ramp up your appetite & negatively affect your gut health. That sweet taste can have your brain craving sugar and maybe lead you to it and the artificial nature of the sweetener may be disruptive to your gut bacteria. Those are the two potential downsides that I’m aware of. The upside is zero calories so if you’re trying to cut weight but struggling with abstinence from the sweet taste of sugar then go for it (in moderation). They’re also a good option for mixers when drinking spirits i.e. Coke Zero with whisky or brandy🤷🏾‍♂️ to help keep your energy intake relatively low. Conclusion: Zero calorie drinks have my vote at this moment in time.

Try blending or juicing your own fruit juice as an alternative. You might like it. It just requires a bit of experimenting in the beginning before you discover something that you really like.

Reply
Maluba Mwila
5/3/2021 02:42:42 am

Thank you for the great insights Mr Majula. I can tell a lot of research went into this👏🏿. Very well written.

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/3/2021 09:30:42 am

The homie😎 always welcome & thank you.

Yes, definitely. The goal is to provide useful, relevant information.

Reply
Maryann
5/3/2021 03:16:24 pm

Insightful article indeed. Thanks so much for sharing

Reply
Roadrunner Zambia
5/5/2021 12:34:38 am

Happy that you found some value in this piece. You're welcome Mrs. Siame:)

Joseph S
5/10/2021 02:17:03 am

First thing I look for on a carton of juice is if it has added sugar. Lol. The less you indulge the more you start to taste it in everything. Good read!

Reply
Musanda
5/14/2021 07:36:14 am

This healthy eating.. still trying to understand it. Great article.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Nicholas Majula

    ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer & Nutritionist

    Categories

    All
    Fitness
    Ichupo Chisuma
    Lifestyle
    Motivation & Psychology
    Nutrition
    Supplements

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

      SUBSCRIBE TO MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

    Subscribe to Newsletter
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Wilka, OLCR, SqueakyMarmot, ella.o, shixart1985, frank.shepherd, orlandofringe, Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, wuestenigel, wuestenigel, MattysFlicks, Tobyotter, wuestenigel, Andrew Gustar, Artotem, wuestenigel, aqua.mech, homegets.com, wuestenigel, shixart1985, DVIDSHUB, wuestenigel, focusonmore.com, wuestenigel, quinn.anya, airdrie.m, htomari, denisbin, One Way Stock, shixart1985, The Nutrition Insider, planetlight, volkspider, wuestenigel, Ray in Manila, M McBey, Jodiepedia, Ivan Radic, middlekidd, The National Guard, twm1340, stoneysteiner, wuestenigel, focusonmore.com, wuestenigel, wuestenigel, mobilyazilar, wuestenigel