Sugar or sleep, which one do you pick most often?

A recent British study seems to confirm something I’ve always known instinctively from my own behavior — people who don’t get enough sleep eat more sugar than those who do.

I know when I was working I regularly would get only 5-6 hours of sleep a night and so eat sugary treats throughout the day to keep going, even though the sugar energy bursts were not all that long-lasting.

Cutting sugar, as found in treats like this, is extremely tough work, confirms a new study.

Now a new study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that people who get at least seven hours sleep a night may be able to eat less sugar than those who get less sleep.

Some participants in the study were counseled on how to get to bed earlier — things like less screen time, not drinking coffee before bed time and establishing a relaxing going-to-bed ritual. Continue reading “Sugar or sleep, which one do you pick most often?” →

January 23, 2018 0

A year of no salt, no sugar, no fat recipes just for you

Our no salt, no fat, no sugar recipe page is by far the most popular items on our blog. People who search for no salt, no sugar recipes (fat doesn’t seem as important for many given all the recent debates on good and bad fat), find us as the No. 2 unpaid search result!

One of our many no salt, no sugar recipes. We cut the salt and sugar to a minimum, along with the fat.

So, in the interest of giving everyone more of what they want, we just added a year’s worth of recipes to our no salt, no fat, no sugar recipe page. We’ve also segmented the page so you can zero in our poultry recipes, seafood recipes and vegetarian options.

And then scroll down to our side dishes and special holiday meals. Continue reading “A year of no salt, no sugar, no fat recipes just for you” →

May 2, 2017 0

Soda tax cuts purchases, health impact harder to discern

Those who blame sugary beverages for America’s obesity problems have often advocated for a tax on such items to cut consumption. Philadelphia enacted such a tax in January and signs are it has definitely cut purchases of sugary soda in the city.

My Super Big Gulp days are over when it comes to diet soda, I given it up for water on the advice of nutritionists...who didn't mention arsenic in water could be a cause of my heart troubles. — Should suhgar-sweetened beverages be taxed?

Indeed, a local Pepsi bottler announced layoffs this week, blaming decreased sales in the 40-50% range on the Philadelphia tax. Some critics say it’s just scare tactics to get the tax rolled back while others tout the amount of money the tax has raised for local schools. Continue reading “Soda tax cuts purchases, health impact harder to discern” →

March 3, 2017 0

Ready for some 2017 food advice? Here’s what Cooking Light says

My e-mail inbox continues to be flooded with advice on how to eat better in 2017. I’ve written one post about this and here’s another. Cooking Light magazine has an entire guide called “Start Your Year Off Right.”

Ready for healthy eating in 2017? Check my recipe page for no salt, no sugar recipes.

Included is a three-day detox regime that I think I would shy away from. Anything that says detox makes assumptions about foods I’m not comfortable making. Continue reading “Ready for some 2017 food advice? Here’s what Cooking Light says” →

January 18, 2017 0

Think you’re eating healthy? Think again

When I first met with a nutritionist to discuss health eating after my 2012 angioplasty, I brought along four pages of foods I liked to eat. She told me one by one that they were all unhealthy. Most had too much of one or more of what I call the evil triangle of American food — sugar, salt or fat.

My low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar pantry. Are these healthy? For me, they are. Read every label before buying any food products.

This blog is the result of that meeting and of my attempt to keep eating foods I find tasty while cutting out the evil triangle. But it is extremely tough in a world of so many mixed food messages. That point was brought home to me by a recent piece I read on npr.org headlined 75 Percent of Americans Say They Eat Healthy — Despite Evidence To The Contrary. Continue reading “Think you’re eating healthy? Think again” →

September 8, 2016 0

Why my new way of eating means an all-or-nothing approach

I really tire of people telling me I can “cheat” on my low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar diet once in a while without any consequences. Doing that last year caused me to gain back 15 pounds I’d lost over the past three years. I know how my body works. If I have one donut, I want more and I usually get them.

And the result is tasty chips with no salt and no fat. — My home-made salt-free potato chips are better than store-bought, but likely jsut make me hungrier.

Eating a little of something only causes me to get hungrier. Thankfully, a recent report explains why that is for me and for all of us, really. Time recently ran 9 Foods That Make You Hungrier. Continue reading “Why my new way of eating means an all-or-nothing approach” →

August 2, 2016 1

The UK has a sugar tax coming, will there be one in the US too?

Britain is about to try something that’s been discussed and discarded in many U.S. locales — a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. the tax begins this month (April) and amount to about the equivalent of none to 12 cents per can depending on sugar content.

That means soda makers and others will pass those costs on to consumers. The tax money collected is supposed to go to promote sports in British schools, reports FoodandDrink Europe.com.

Will the tax get companies to cut sugar content? This Q&A speculates that it would cost major producers like Coke more to reformulate than they may lose in sales because of the tax. Continue reading “The UK has a sugar tax coming, will there be one in the US too?” →

April 5, 2016 0

New nutritional guidelines not tough enough on salt, target sugar instead

Anticipated U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines came out Thursday and, as I wrote last February, they let up a bit on salt concerns to focus on sugar as the worst of the evil three of salt, fat and sugar that we all eat too much of in the typical American diet.

“The average person eats 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, and the guidelines say everyone should lower that to 2,300, or about a teaspoon,” notes the New York Times report on the guidelines, which are issued every five years.

Salt gets off easy in the new dietary guidelines, too easy, I think.,

“Lowering sodium intake was the major push of the 2010 guidelines, and that document recommended that those most at risk of heart disease, or about half the population, lower their intake to 1,500 mg. The new guidelines delete that lower amount as part of the top recommendations. Later on, though, the report says those with high blood pressure and prehypertension could benefit from a steeper reduction,” the Times reports. Continue reading “New nutritional guidelines not tough enough on salt, target sugar instead” →

January 7, 2016 0

Sugar or salt, which is harder to kick?

I’ve often characterized sugar, salt and fat as the evil triangle of foods — a triangle I have struggled mightily to avoid since my 2012 angioplasty. Of sugar or salt, which is harder to drop from your diet?

For me, its long been sugar. I’ve cut massive amounts of salt from what I eat by eating out less and eating less processed foods as well as by checking for low-salt varieties of such everyday kitchen staples as ketchup, tomato sauce and even olives.

So I was happy, if that’s the right term for sad situation, to see this video report from Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert about a new research that shows it is indeed harder to drop sugar from your diet than salt. Continue reading “Sugar or salt, which is harder to kick?” →

January 4, 2016 1

Need to quit sugar? Here’s why and how to do it

Most of us are well aware that salt, sugar and fat are the demons in our lives that make us unhealthy. The truth is that we do need a little of certain salts in our bodies. And our brains need glucose (a type of sugar) to function. And, incredibly, there are good fats that are absolutely essential to our bodies.

Telling the difference is easier than you think when it comes to sugar at least. It’s important to understand why the sweet stuff is just so bad for us, though. We all understand that too many sweet things can lead to weight gain, but perhaps the reason for it is a little unclear. The energy, or calories, from sugar, can be burnt off quicker than carbohydrates. It gives us that awesome boost of energy just as we need it, right?

Yes, there are such things as ‘sugar-highs’, when you have taken on so much sugar so quickly it makes you feel excitable and energized. But that passes really quick, and you can then feel low and lethargic. The process that removes the sugar from your bloodstream can also be damaged over time. This can lead to several health problems, including diabetes. That’s why even children shouldn’t be exposed to lots of sugar. It can just bring the problem on more quickly.

Continue reading “Need to quit sugar? Here’s why and how to do it” →

December 22, 2015 2

Tag: sugar