Sugar in food

Mollie, I am also trying to cut down on sugar. I developed a sweeter tooth in my 50's, and these days, I love desserts, biscuits and chocolate. I cut out biscuits completely after the festive over indulgence left all my trousers feeling tight. I only eat cream over the festive period, and once it's over I honestly don't miss it.
I eat butter, not those processed spreads, but don't over do it. We get through lots of olive oil which we cook with, and use with salads.

I treat myself to manuka honey, which I only use on my morning bowl of porridge and fruit. I tell myself it's good for me, and it is so delicious can one spoon full a day cause harm? I have also given up muesli, because even if you buy the no added sugar ones, the sugar content is high.

We usually cook from scratch, don't use salt and the only things I put brown sugar in are fruit cakes. No sugar in drinks for 45 years now. I definitely notice weight gain round my middle if I over indulge. I'm also trying hard (!) not to eat a slice of cake except on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I've just ate the remains of a Mars Bar that was in the fridge [having eaten realy healthy food all weekend]. So annoyed with myself. It only took a nanosecond to eat as well; not worth it!

Tegan - I munched my way through a bag of twix chocs yesterday evening. My excuse, well back from watching 12 years a slave, and feeling the need of some comfort. Onward and Upwards, it's the working week so I'll try and locate that bit of discipline I know is lurking somewhere

I see there's a programme about added sugar on the TV this evening...

Thinking back hazily to "O" level Biology - don't carbs conver to sugar in the digestive process? I seem to remember an enzyme in saliva (ptyalin?) which begins said process. But am ready to be corrected - it was 50 odd years ago!

The question is tegan how did it get into the house in the first place?
The other question is - remains??? Respect. There would never be chocolate remains in my house, which is why it is banned from crossing the threshold.
Yes ariadne that is basically what happens - starches and sugars get broken down into glucose (dextrose) which is then either used or stored in the liver as glycogen. For the (much) longer answer try reading the Fructose entry in Wikipedia - it seems that fructose is a bit of a complicated law unto itself. And the whole biochemistry thing is incredibly complicated, including how those extra calories turn into fat (about 6 years of study beyond o level complicated)
I think the essence is that refined sugars - the crystalline stuff (whatever the colour) is quicker and easier to digest, hits the insulin system faster and harder and will tend to cause all sorts of knock on ill effects. Honeys, syrups etc behave in the same way. So foods with added sugars are not good for you. They disrupt your appetite and your metabolism.
The carbohydrates we can cope with are the ones in whole fruits, grains like porridge etc - these will give us the energy we need without the ill effects.

My gandson has a mini mars bar when he get sin from school; someone had eaten the last of the mini bars so I'd bought some proper size ones and cut a bit off and put the remains in the fridge. Had no desire to eat it at all till last night and then it started sending out 'eat me' signals [see, it was ALL the fault of the chocolate and I was a helpless victim ].

I've been making soup for the freezer this morning and I normally use my own frozen tomato pulp for minestrone but at this time of the year I've usually run out. I read the sugar content on a tin of chopped tomatoes and was amazed that the amount was 5.6g for half a tin. That's the same as a small serving of Aldi's crunchy Pecan and Maple cereal

I must grow more tomatoes this year!!!!

but it is not added sugar merlot

It will not make any difference, Merlot.
One medium raw tomato has 2.6 grams of carbohydrate in the form of sugar.

Just had an email from www.sumofus.org
Their latest campaign is to stop companies like Coca Cola and Nestle claiming that their products are healthier because they contain fructose. A new EU food law, apparently.
Thought some of you might want to sign up to it. I have.

thanks for the information about sugar in tinned tomatoes, I feel relieved as they're a staple here.

Healthier than what, djen?

Not sure that a teaspoon of ordinary sugar added to a bowl of porridge would be bad (
I usually slice up a banana on mine,, no sugar, occasionally honey).

Is it actual sugar in all these products or the more dangerous corn syrup

Did you see this programme?
http:/www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18393391

Sorry, need to be able to put in a link properly, need some help!

I mix a pack of cinnamon with some sugar in a bowl and use 1 teaspoon on my porridge every morning- none if tea or coffee or practically anything else- apart from 2 squares of 70% Lindt chocolate in the evening. Try to avoid most processed or refined food.

margaret, just put double square brackets around the link text xyzxyz

Thank you (live and learn)

dd1 keeps mentioning cinnamon + honey + ???did she say lemon? as being good for colds

Lemon and honey and whisky is best (hot toddy) [innocent look]

I've never added cinnamon. I might try that.

Whisky, of course is very processed

cinnamon is of course very good against all sorts of ailments (cholesterol from the top of my head).

Is cholesterol an ailment? I thought it was absolutely necessary to every cell in our bodies! Learn something every day on GN

I am being stupid can't do it, but you could copy and pasteif you were interested. I will try again another day

Here you go: http:/www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18393391

What I did there is this:
1 typed two square brackets – copied your link, pasted it just after the two [[3 closed the double square brackets thus

OH BOTHER!!!!

It does tell you at the bottom of the page below the message box that you type in to add a comment.