Sweet yet insidious

[scheherazade]

As one who works in retail grocery and who gets to read the ingredient labels of countless packaged and processed foods in the course of my work, I have been astounded to note the number of foods that sugar is to be found in, foods which many would not expect to contain sugar or some other form of sweetener.

Sweeteners are added to food for a number of reasons, to enhance flavor and as a preservative being only two. North American foods have been tailored toward sweet and salty but we shall leave the salty for another place and time.

Natural sugar occurs in many foods as well, notably fruit but several vegetables also contain sugar.

So here is the loaded question for readers and thread participants: Are you aware of which food or foods contributes the most sugar to your present eating regime?

[C C]

I usually don't eat refined / processed fruits and vegetables, so I'm still going to bank on most of my sugar consumption being invested in a contest between guilty stuff like ice cream, cakes, chocolate, etc -- and the aforementioned fruits. The breaded chicken nuggets and burritos I occasionally eat may have some sugar or corn syrup, and of course the aforementioned vegetables will have naturally occurring sugars. But if the taste doesn't contain a noticeable or standout degree of sweetness, I just don't count it.

[scheherazade]

I expect that my sugar content is likewise in those treats that I make for myself and in various fruits and veggies. In recent years I have lost my appetite for very sweet fruits and no longer buy grapes. I use bananas in baking and occasional smoothies but I seldom just peel and eat one. Apples and berries are my preference now and they are lessor in sugar content than many other fruits. Interesting that as one weans oneself away from sugar, one can taste the natural sugars that are in vegetables more easily.

[elte]

I rigorously try to avoid anything with added sugar and I don't add it to anything.  I haven't been keeping sugar here, although I have a small bottle of honey whose contents have hardened since I haven't used any of it for years.

I have almost completely given up bananas as having too much sugar for me too.

[scheherazade]

Christmas has got to be the pinnacle of the sugar consumption in North America and our store is festooned with chocolates, sweets, cookies and biscuits in appropriate seasonal colors and flavors, packaged for serving, sharing or gift giving. We have candy cane ice cream, mint flavored coffee and hot chocolate, liquor filled chocolates, fancy cookies and crackers and imported chocolates in fancy boxes with gold wrapping. We have sparkling water, non-alcohol beverages and fruit flavored mixers to accompany the fancy platters that our Deli department prepares, from single serving size to hostess for the football game. Fancy condiments, jellies and chutneys to grace all of those biscuits also and you can be certain that sugar in one of it's myriad forms is in almost every item on the shelves.

Interesting that most people recognize the sugar in sweets for obvious reasons, but are less aware of the hidden sugars in condiments and processed meats and biscuits. The season of visiting and incessant grazing is almost upon us so best to dig out the skirts and pants with that bit of elastic in the waistband, lol. Before long, it will be time to make that New Year's resolution to eat less sugar in 2017.

Good luck with that. The retail grocery trade spends copious amounts of money in researching the right proportions of sugar/fat/salt to tantalize your taste buds without hitting the appetite satiation point.

[Zinjanthropos]

I have to watch my fructose intake.  I hate the labels that say sugar but don't elaborate. I love baked bread but they use sugar for the browning effect(crust). I did find a bread I can eat at a local bakery. It's called egg bread, has no sugar and doesn't taste all that bad. Not expensive but also not in grocery stores around here. Took some time to get use to avoiding the sweet stuff but I've managed.

[C C]

Christmas has got to be the pinnacle of the sugar consumption in North America [...]

Taking into account how over-stocked the superstores become with sweets weeks before Halloween, the latter might impulsively pop to mind as a potential contender. If it wasn't so lopsided toward the kiddies rather than everybody.

[Carol]

Christmas has got to be the pinnacle of the sugar consumption in North America and our store is festooned with chocolates, sweets, cookies and biscuits in appropriate seasonal colors and flavors, packaged for serving, sharing or gift giving. We have candy cane ice cream, mint flavored coffee and hot chocolate, liquor filled chocolates, fancy cookies and crackers and imported chocolates in fancy boxes with gold wrapping. We have sparkling water, non-alcohol beverages and fruit flavored mixers to accompany the fancy platters that our Deli department prepares, from single serving size to hostess for the football game. Fancy condiments, jellies and chutneys to grace all of those biscuits also and you can be certain that sugar in one of it's myriad forms is in almost every item on the shelves.

Interesting that most people recognize the sugar in sweets for obvious reasons, but are less aware of the hidden sugars in condiments and processed meats and biscuits. The season of visiting and incessant grazing is almost upon us so best to dig out the skirts and pants with that bit of elastic in the waistband, lol. Before long, it will be time to make that New Year's resolution to eat less sugar in 2017.

Good luck with that. The retail grocery trade spends copious amounts of money in researching the right proportions of sugar/fat/salt to tantalize your taste buds without hitting the appetite satiation point.

 
Naw, if you can, go swimming several times a week or jog around the block.  Swimming seems to be the best all over exercise.  It isn't just how much we eat, but also how active we are.  

When we eat more calories we need to be more active.   So shovel snow.  But if you aren't accustom to such exercise, don't do the whole driveway at once.  Try 15 minute periods of exercise three or four times a day.  If you can not talk or sing a song when you are active, your exercise is too intense and you need to slow down.  

If you are going to do intense or arboic exercise, we might want to stretch for warm up and cool down exercises to avoid sore muscles and heart palitations.