According to Harvard school of public health: The American heart association suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men. With this information, we can still enjoy some sweet treats without going overboard on the amount of sugars that can damage our health. However, for adults with medical condition such as diabetes, knowing the amount of sugar contained in food can prevent symptom of hyperglycemia. On the other hand, it is possible to have hypoglycemia without having diabetes if we have low blood sugar or glucose in our body.
Carbohydrates are a great source of energy for our body, but they affect our blood sugar too. If you have diabetes, keep track of how much carbs you eat is mandatory. Always look at nutritional fact labels to count your carbs. Find the "Total Carbohydrate" number listed on a package's "Nutrition Facts" panel. Then, check the serving size and confirm the amount you can eat. Repeat this step with other foods you plan to eat. When you add all the grams of carbs to get the total carbs you should stay within your budget. For instance, most adults with diabetes have to count the amount of carbs allowed in their diet: 45-60 grams of carbs per meal and 15-20 grams per snack.
Dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron ad potassium are nutrients on the label that Americans generally do not get the recommended amount of. They are identified as nutrients to get more of. In general for daily values, if 5% or less is considered low and 20% or more is considered high. We raise our awareness in eating a diet high in dietary fiber which can increase the frequency of bowel movements, lower blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and reduce calorie intake. In addition, diets higher in vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, anemia, and high blood pressure.
We need probiotics for our guts bacteria health. Always look at your nutrition facts label. For instance, my package label claims that there are 1 billon probiotics in my Açaí bowl. It means there are 1 billion colony-forming units CFUs in this case is bacillus coagulans. Bacillus coagulans is a type of good bacteria, called a probiotic. It produces lactic acid, but isn’t the same thing as Lactobacillus which is another type of probiotic. B. coagulans is able to generate spores during its reproductive life cycle. This is unlike Lactobacillus and many other probiotics. For this reason, this strain of bacteria is particularly robust. It’s able to withstand extreme environments, such as high levels of acid, in the stomach. This may make B. coagulans particularly effective at alleviating stomach distress and other ailments. By understanding the difference between different probiotics, we can maximize our health benefits.
According to Harvard Health Medical School Publishing, adopting a healthy diet can lower the risk of developing depressive symptoms. Today, fortunately, the burgeoning field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many consequences and correlations between not only what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Since about 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract, and your gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, or neurons, it makes sense that the inner workings of your digestive system don’t just help you digest food, but also guide your emotions. What’s more, the function of these neurons — and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin — is highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome. These bacteria play an essential role in your health. They protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food; and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain. This may sound implausible to you, but the notion that good bacteria not only influence what your gut digests and absorbs, but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body, as well as your mood and energy level, is gaining traction among researchers.
As always, live consciously, eat consciously, love consciously so we can enjoy our lives to the fullest! ❤️
*Credits to Harvard Health Medical School publishing and public health department, healthline.com and fda.gov
*⚠️Disclaimer: Please consult with a physician or other healthcare professional before consuming açaí and food intakes.
The Truth About... Carbs BBC1
ANH article re governments' (dangerous LF/HC) healthy eating guidelines
gluten sensitivity and eating healthy, dilemna.
Healthy Eating Sugar Free Challenge
