1. Food labels are confusing and not easy to understand for a lay person
2. The ambiguity is higher if you’re wanting to know how much sugar a product actually contains.

You may have commonly come across the labels ‘No added sugar’, ‘Unsweetened’ or ‘Sugar-free’ on various products. Let’s understand what these three terms actually mean.

Understanding the Difference Between Sugar-Free, Unsweetened and No Added Sugar

1. No added sugar

If no sugar or sugar-containing products are added during processing, then a product can be labelled as ‘No Added Sugar”. It can’t be presumed to be free of sugar though. It simply means that the manufacturer didn’t add any sugar during the process of manufacturing. A product with a ‘No Added Sugar’ label may still contain natural sugars, artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Foods commonly carrying this claim are granola bars, spreads, fruit juices and preserves.

2. Unsweetened

If you see this term on a food label, it means the product contains no added sugars, no artificial sweeteners, and no sugar alcohols whatsoever. So does that mean you have found your safe zone? Well, at least there are no artificial sweetening additives in your product. However, it doesn’t mean the food contains no sugar at all, as it may have naturally occurring sugars. For instance, even single-ingredient products like juices will have fructose or fruit sugar. Yet it will be labelled as ‘No Added Sugar’ or ‘Unsweetened’ on the food pack wherein the natural sugar fructose present in the fruit may contribute as much as 20g of sugar in a 200ml glass of juice.

3. Sugar-free

This tag is most popular with diabetics, for obvious reasons. For a product to be labelled sugar-free, it should contain no more than 0.5g of naturally occurring or added sugars in a single serving. The catch here is that artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols may not be included in this 0.5g.

Be careful while buying products with a sugar-free label on the packaging. Scan the ingredients to check if other sources of sugar are on the list. If there are other ingredients like artificial sweeteners or fructose, know that they will contribute to your total calorie intake from that product. Common foods that carry this claim are chewing gums, syrups, candies and juices.

How a ‘Sugar-Free’ Product is Made Sweet

In order to meet the regulations laid down by authorities like FDA in the US and FSSAI in India, food manufacturers add sweetening agents like sugar alcohols [also called polyols] to the product. Sugar alcohols have a chemical structure that partially resembles both sugar and alcohol, hence the name. However, they do not contain any alcohol. By adding these substances, they can make the product sweet and at the same time reap the benefits of adding labels like ‘no added sugar’ or ‘sugar-free’ on the product. Food manufacturers use food label making software to customize sugar alcohol labels and generate nutrition and marketing claims based on the latest regulatory requirements.

Sugar alcohols are either natural or artificial, have the same or higher sweetness quotient and are lower in calories. These products are as palatable as any regular sugary processed food. They also work as a bulking agent in the product, but provide you with almost no nutrition.

Related » How to Plan the Right Meals for Those With Diabetes

How to Know if Your Food Contains Sugar Alcohols

Look for these names on the food label:

• Erythritol
• Isomalt
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

These are the most commonly used sugar alcohol additives.

Is It Safe to Consume Products With Sugar Alcohols?

Occasional consumption of artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols is fine, however prolonged or excess consumption of such products should be avoided. While these products are definitely low on calories and could help one’s transition from a regular sugary diet to one with reduced sugar, but they do have a flip side to them.

1. 1. If you are a diabetic or you are on a keto diet, you need to watch out for polyols, as these substances are essentially carbohydrates and will set your sugars off. You may consume these under the impression that they are helping to keep your sugars in control or supporting your keto diet. But, sugar alcohols like isomalt, maltitol, mannitol etc can contribute to anywhere between 1.5kcal to 3 kcal/gm.
   2. Over consumption of products with sugar alcohol could have a laxative like effect and you may experience gas, bloating and diarrhea.
   3. Most of these sweeteners are way higher on the sweetness index as compared to natural sugar. Overconsumption of these can impair the sweet receptors in the body due to over-stimulation. Consequently, you will not find sweet foods sweet enough and will have to add extra sugar. It will also hamper your tastes for naturally sweet foods like fruits and certain vegetables.
   4. There’s also a psychological angle to this. If you think you have controlled your calorie intake through the day because you had more of “Sugar-free” foods, you may be tempted to reward yourself by having extra servings of other sweet foods. This could be especially detrimental to diabetics. Teens tend to binge on colas because they believe that choosing the diet version makes it less harmful, and they end up consuming much more than they usually would.

Be Mindful of Your Choices

As a health conscious consumer, be mindful of the choices you make.

1. Always read the nutritional label and particularly the serving size
2. Read the ingredients well and be aware of these hidden additives that could hinder your journey towards a healthier you
3. Use natural ingredients as sweet enhancers, like dates, raisins, figs.

The post The Truth Behind Sugar-Free, Unsweetened, and No Added Sugar appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

• 56 hours: in bed
• 40 hours: at work, e.g. in front of a computer or sitting in meetings
• 7.5 hours: travelling into work by car, or sitting or standing on the train, bus or Tube
• 10 hours: sitting down when eating
• 7 hours: watching TV or reading
• 8.5 hours: socialising with friends [often sitting]
• 14 hours: cooking, washing, brushing teeth, showering and personal admin.

That’s a grand total of 143 hours of little or no movement per week. We only have 168 hours in a week, so that’s 85% of our week without movement.  It is challenging to make changes to these 143 hours, so it’s what we do with the rest of our time that is particularly important.

Three golden rules of exercising

1. Movement = energy. Aim to fill as much of your life with movement as possible.
2. Be consistent. As the saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. If you exercise 3 – 4 times per week for three months and then miss a month, most of your health and fitness gains will be lost because you’ve stopped.
3. Find exercise that you enjoy and that fits your lifestyle, this will increase your chance of being a consistent exerciser.

The three key types of exercise

1. Resistance
2. Cardiovascular
3. Stretching.

Each gives your body unique benefits. A good exercise programme should ideally incorporate all three elements in the same workout; they can also be separated into different workouts; however, it is good to include stretching at the end of all workouts.

The benefits of resistance exercise

1. This can be with free weights, machine weights or your own body weight.
2. Increases your metabolism, i.e. you burn more calories each day [even when you’re sitting still!]
3. Helps you to achieve the weight you want
4. Builds and/or tones your muscles, improving confidence
5. Improves your posture
6. Strengthens your bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis
7. Makes everyday activities easier and makes you less prone to back problems and other injuries.

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise

1. Releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals—so you feel happy
2. Improves your energy levels and gives you more stamina each day
3. Improves your overall health, especially that of your heart and lungs
4. Increases your metabolism [i.e. you burn more calories each day]
5. Strengthens your immune system, so you’re less likely to get ill
6. Reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease
7. Helps you to maintain a healthy weight
8. Improves quality of sleep
9. Increases blood flow, which improves the appearance of the skin.

The benefits of stretching exercise

1. Improves your balance, co-ordination and mobility
2. Reduces muscle tension and helps to prevent injuries
3. Improves flexibility, mobility and posture
4. Stimulates blood circulation and improves energy levels
5. Improves physical performance in sports and general exercise
6. Helps to relax, re-energise and balance mind and body

Examples of resistance, cardiovascular and stretching exercise

Resistance exercises

An all-body resistance-based workout could last for as little as 20 minutes and it could be done just twice a week in order to see improvements. That’s just 40 minutes per week to get all the great benefits of resistance training—anything more is a bonus. You could try to:

• take a resistance-based exercise class, e.g. body pump
• get a personal trainer to write you a home-based resistance programme or look one up online
• take part in a military fitness class or an outdoor boot camp circuit class
• use resistance bands [when you buy them they come with examples of exercises]
• join a gym and get a resistance programme from a gym instructor or personal trainer.

Cardiovascular exercises

Ideally, a cardiovascular-based workout should be done three times a week. It doesn’t need to be for long: 20 – 30 minutes at a time is a great place to start. That’s just 1 hour a week to start seeing the benefits! You could try:

• cardio-based exercise classes, such as Zumba, body attack, cardio kick-boxing and aerobics
• a cardio-based exercise DVD
• sports that involve cardio, e.g. cycling, swimming, skipping, running, football, netball and power-walking
• looking up a cardio-based fitness programme online, which you can do outside of a gym
• joining a military fitness class or outdoor boot camp circuit class
• joining a gym and get a cardio-based programme from a gym instructor or personal trainer.

Stretching exercises

An all-body stretching workout could last for as little as 10 – 20 minutes and you could start by doing this twice a week: that’s just 20 – 40 minutes per week to start seeing great benefits. Stretches can be done throughout a cardiovascular or resistance workout, in-between exercises or at the end of your workout. You could try:

• going to yoga or Pilates classes, or getting personal yoga or Pilates sessions at home
• a stretching exercise DVD or Wi Fit, or follow a yoga book or DVD
• searching online [there are hundreds of stretching videos to choose from]
• asking a personal trainer or yoga instructor to write you a home-based stretching programme.

One final point to mention is that there are big benefits for your overall health in combining all three elements of exercising in the same workout [e.g. some cardiovascular exercise, some resistance exercise and some stretching]. This is also a great use of time and will leave you feeling completely energised.

The post How to Exercise: Your Ultimate Guide appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.