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Cutting back on added sugar
Watching the sugar in your diet can help you control your weight and potentially avoid serious chronic health problems, for example, heart disease and diabetes.
You might be surprised at how many of the “healthy” foods you eat contain sugar. Energy bars, fruit, flavored yogurt — all “good” foods but many of them have a lot of sugar. Step one is to read labels carefully and opt for products that are lower in sugar.
For many people, cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages is an easy way to reduce sugar intake. Giving up juices and soft drinks can be tough, but here are few ways to get started:
What about artificial sweeteners?
Artificial sweeteners — for example, acesulfame, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose — give you the sweetness of sugar with virtually none of the calories. Most people who use artificial sweeteners or choose foods or beverages made with them do so because they want to lose weight. And for a lot of people, they do help. But some research suggests that the use of artificial sweeteners may actually promote weight gain.
Artificial sweeteners are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than table sugar. People who use these sweeteners often may desensitize themselves to sweetness. If that happens, they may find healthful but not-so-sweet foods such as fruits and vegetables unappetizing by comparison. Calories removed from the diet by swapping sugar for sweeteners may re-enter in the form of refined carbohydrates (like those found in crackers, chips, pastries, and the like) and unhealthy saturated and trans fats.
If artificial sweeteners are helping you lose weight or keep it off, great. If they don’t seem to be helping, or if you don’t need to lose weight, you may be better off simply trying to cut back on the added sugar in your diet.
For more ways to reduce the sugar and salt intake, buy Reducing Sugar and Salt: Strategies for Minimizing Risks to Your Health, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
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News and Views from the Harvard Health Blog
A new study using high-tech scans to "see" into the brains of older individuals found that those with the stiffest arteries were more likely to have the kind of damage to brain tissue that is linked to dementia. The results suggest that efforts to improve cardiovascular health can also protect the brain. Read more.
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Mining for hidden salt
You can easily tick off a list of salty, sodium-rich foods: potato chips, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, pickles, and more. But there are plenty of high-sodium foods you probably aren’t aware of. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Americans get almost one-third of their sodium from breads and rolls, chicken and chicken dishes, pizza, egg dishes, and pasta dishes. That’s partly because these foods contain added salt and partly because we eat them so often. Here’s another staggering number: up to 80% of the salt in your food was put there by someone other than you.
Why does salt matter? Your body needs a little bit of the sodium in salt to contract muscles, send nerve impulses, and maintain a healthy balance of fluids. But too much sodium can increase blood pressure, make the heart work harder, thicken and stiffen blood vessels, and more. Higher salt and sodium consumption have been linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
How can you avoid these hidden salt mines? Read food labels carefully. Look at both the amount of sodium per serving and the recommended daily sodium allowance percentage. Shop for products labeled “salt free,” or “no salt added,” or “low-sodium.” Avoid condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, and salad dressings, which tend to be loaded with salt.
Another good strategy is to limit your use of prepared and processed foods, which tend to be made with a lot of salt. Adding more fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables to your diet can also lower sodium and increase potassium.
Restaurant foods are often loaded with salt. Many restaurants now offer low-sodium choices. If your food is being made to order, don’t hesitate to ask that it be made without salt.
For more on how salt intake affects your health, buy Reducing Sugar and Salt: Strategies for Minimizing Risks to Your Health, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
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减少食用糖和盐，有助心血管健康和减肥
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