Shy Away from Sugar

Effect of Excess Sugar on Women’s Health

Cut down sugar consumption. Say NO to all these!

Limit sugar consumption while you are trying to conceive as it can cause you to put on weight and lower your chances of getting pregnant. Excess sugar intake also

makes you obese and affects both baby and mother during pregnancy. Sugary foods provide extra calories but less nutrition. Hence, avoid eating them when you are a lactating mother.

Hidden Sugars in your Daily Food3

Avoiding table sugar alone does not limit your daily sugar consumption. Sugar is present in a variety of other foods such as sweets, cakes, muffins, biscuits, chocolates, sauces, jams, breakfast cereals, juices, soft drinks, etc. Natural foods such as fruits and milk also contain sugars. However, these sugars are good for health.

Tips to Control your Sugar Consumption:

Sometimes you may end up eating sugary foods without knowing it as many Indian savoury and beverage items ( Dhokla, Puran Poli, Falooda, Lassi etc.) contain hidden sugar.

Check the Nutritional Label

Nutritional labels on packaged food products can help you know about the sugar content in them. Check the label before buying any packaged food.

• Food containing 22.5 g or more sugar per 100g can be defined as high sugar content food.
• Food containing 5 g or less sugar per 100g is considered as low sugar content food.

Confirm Ingredient List

The Nutritional Facts label includes both natural and added sugars. However, you can identify the added sugar from the list of ingredients. Look for words that describe added sugar such as sucrose, corn syrup or sweetener, dextrose, fructose , maltose, hydrolysed starch, invert sugar, honey, molasses, etc.

Choose Natural Foods instead of Sugary Foods

Choose natural foods over sugary foods to limit your sugar consumption. For example, drink water or unsweetened fruit juice instead of soda or fizzy drinks. Avoid applying jam, marmalade, syrup or honey on your toast, go for low-fat spread or low-fat cream cheese instead. Try eating fruit salads as an alternative to your creamy dessert ice cream.

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