Carbohydrates and sugars
Our bodies need carbohydrates for energy. Choose healthier carbohydrates and limit foods high in added sugars. Many people think of rice, potatoes and pasta as 'carbs' but that's only a few of the huge range of foods that contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are in all fruit and vegetables, all breads and grain products, and sugar and sugary foods.
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. You may see it called different names - like fructose, lactose, sucrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, raw sugar, cane sugar, malt extract and molasses. Sugar in food and drinks can be naturally occurring, like in fruit and dairy products. It can also be added during processing. Most 'added' sugar in the Australian diet comes from foods like cakes, biscuits, pastries and sugary drinks. Some healthy foods contain added sugars for flavour or helping preserve the product or hold its shape (e.g. flavoured yoghurt and some breakfast cereals).
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently reviewed all available evidence to update the Australian Dietary Guidelines and concluded that sugar as an individual nutrient was important in relation to dental caries, and sugary drinks can increase the risk of weight gain in adults and children.
There's no scientific consensus that sugar as a nutrient causes heart disease. But too much of anything, like sugar, can increase the amount of energy (kilojoules) you eat which can increase the risk of weight gain. And being overweight or obese can increase your risk of heart disease.
What to choose
- Choose the healthier carbohydrates like fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain breads, wholegrain cereals and pastas. They're all part of a healthy eating pattern.
- Limit foods high in added sugars like cakes, confectionary, biscuits and sugary drinks. These foods should only be eaten sometimes and in small amounts.
- Consider the overall nutrition a food offers. If you looked only at the sugar levels, you'd choose a diet soft drink over milk - but you'd miss out on much needed calcium as well as protein, vitamins D and A. And some grain foods offer carbohydrates, but also have a lot of added saturated fat, and added salt, and not much fibre, vitamins or minerals (like cakes, muffins, pies, pastries and biscuits).
Related News
8 Practical Tips to Lose Weight Without Dieting
Why and how exercises reduce the risk of CANCER?
5 most surprising cosmetic surgery trends across the globe
5 Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat
The Benefits of Yoga Beyond Flexibility
Dandelion Benefits Biodiversity, Soil and Your Health
Legumes, nuts and kale can help you get big muscles
10 Signs You are Obsessing About Your Weight
Most Read
★Breakthrough drug restores more than 90% of lost hair in most patients
★5 Effective Baba Ramdev Yoga Asanas To Increase Height
★Using Kalonji Seeds for Weight Loss
★12 Benefits of Hair Spa Treatment
★4 Foolproof Tips to Make Healthy Veggie Chips at Home
★7 Filling Foods to Keep Belly Fat at Bay
★Best foods for healthy skin
★Fresh fruits and veggies arent always healthier than frozen, scientists say
★Why You Need to Start Combining Avocados and Peaches
★Stop Lusting For a Radiant Skin Possess it with the Help of Super Foods
★Yoga Heals More than Just Your Body
★Best and Worst Drinks for Weight Loss
★Top Fitness Stars Share Their Most Common Workout Habits
★Five-second rule for food dropped on the floor approved by germ scientists
★8 Time-Saving Meal Prep Ideas Nutritionists Actually Use
★The Key to Healthy Aging
★Manage oily skin in winters with these steps
★Everyday Medications You Should Never Take When You Exercise
★9 Simple Yoga Asanas & Tips for Weight Loss
★Popular weight loss strategies
★5 superfoods to combat hair loss
★Haryana girl Nishtha Dudeja wins Miss Deaf Asia 2018 crown
★Making handloom accessible
★Research reveals surprising health benefits of chewing your food
★Mushrooms could prevent risk of Dementia, scientists say
★15 Kitchen Herbs and Spices with Powerful Health Benefits
★4 Superfoods for a Healthy Looking Skin
★Wash Your Face with Oil
★This is how many calories your tea and coffee habit is adding to your diet EVERY DAY
★Do you want to be paid for sleeping well at night?
★Natural Ways to Remove Blackheads on Face and Nose
★The amazing and healthy benefits of meditation!
★Sari saga from Bengal
★Fruitylicious cure for ageing skin
★Study finds dramatic weight loss can be achieved WITHOUT counting calories
★15 Best Heart-Healthy Foods
★Flex Your Memory Muscle
★Mans lips exploded after he became 'addicted' to fillers
★Recycling temple waste along the Ganges with Help Us Green
★Eating cheese does not raise cholesterol, study finds
★Top 10 Fruits To Eat To Lose Weight Quickly
★23 foods that contain NO calories
★Face Open Pores
★Ideal exercises to keep your heart healthy
★How to Set Weight-Loss Goals You Can Actually Achieve
★Top Foods for Calcium and Vitamin D
★How you should wash your face?
★Take care of your coloured hair with Wella
★Man has lived with giant neck for 13 years after going to doctors for help
★Growing Propagating and Using Aloe Vera
