Welcome to another edition of our clinic newsletter. Read ahead for some insights on the harmful effect added sugars have on our body and how this relates to diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. And if you want to know more, make sure you register for our up-coming Wellness Workshop (details below). Some helpful clinic information first though:
Did you know:
*You can book your appointments online through our website. Go to www.betterhealthpractices.com.au and follow the prompts.
*We accept Medicare Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) referrals from your GP for Chiropractic and Podiatry.
*Merlene offers 1-1 Health Coaching sessions either face-to-face or via Telehealth to assist with diet and lifestyle changes.
Upcoming events
Wellness workshops
On the last Tuesday of each month at 7pm, Merlene will be running a series of Wellness Workshops at the clinic. We invite you to come along and learn from an expert in Lifestyle Medicine, Nutrition, and Exercise.
This month’s topic is Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD). Learn:
Actionable steps to improve blood sugar readings.
Important diet hacks to keep blood sugar stable
Why fructose consumption leads to a fatty liver
How to use a Continuous Glucose Monitor to personalise your diet.
SPACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED. TO SECURE YOUR SPOT PLEASE CALL THE CLINIC ON 4340 5154.
Tuesday March 24
7 PM · Better Health Practices, 20 Langford Dr, Kariong
What too much sugar is doing to our health.
When we eat sugar (sucrose), our body quickly breaks it down to glucose, and fructose. Once glucose hits our bloodstream, insulin is released to help get the glucose out of our blood and into our muscles, up to our brain, or stored as fat via the liver. This ‘insulin spike’ then creates a sugar ‘crash” as the blood glucose levels plummet. Our brain doesn’t like this, so it triggers stress hormone (cortisol and adrenalin) release. This can give you a ‘sugar high’, but then leaves you craving more sugar, which perpetuates the cycle. Over time, our insulin becomes less efficient, and in full diabetes, fails completely. Insulin ‘resistance’ leaves too much sugar in our blood, and this is very damaging to all our body systems as our small blood vessels become damaged by the excess sugar (called glycation). This can lead to kidney damage, accelerated skin ageing, blindness, Alzheimer's disease, limb amputations, and heart disease.
Fructose has a different journey once it enters our bloodstream. Fructose does not enter our cells using insulin - it heads straight for the liver. If the liver is already full of stored energy, then any fructose entering the liver is stored as fat. Once the liver is full, it gets released into the bloodstream as triglycerides (fat) or stored around our organs (visceral fat). Both of these scenarios are very dangerous for our long term health. When cholesterol in our blood interacts with the triglycerides it can form plaques which are what causes heart attacks and strokes. It used to be thought that dietary fat consumption caused plaque build up in our arteries, but the science is now pointing to sugar being the culprit, and especially fructose.
Thankfully, there is a lot we can do from a lifestyle perspective to prevent, treat, and even reverse insulin resistance and diabetes. For more information, make sure you come to our Wellness Workshop (it’s FREE), or make an appointment with Merlene to get personalised advice on lifestyle changes.
RECIPE RECOMMENDATION
Asian Cucumber Salad
A lovely summer salad as a side dish to your protein of choice.
Ingredients:
2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup coriander
Combine vinegar, soy, sesame oil, honey garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in a large bowl.
Add cucumber and toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onion, and coriander just before serving.
Yum!
THIS WEEK’S HEALTH HACK:
HOW TO READ A FOOD LABEL FOR SUGAR CONTENT.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that our sugar consumption should be no more than 10%, and ideally less than 5% of our total daily calorie intake. For the average person 10% equates to about 50g or 12 teaspoons of sugar. There is 4g of sugar in 1 teaspoon.
First, look at the serving size. Most labels will have a standardised column for content per 100g, but will then have a per serving and a serving size reference.
Calculate the number of teaspoons of sugar per serving by dividing the total sugars (in grams) by 4. In the example below there would be 5 ½ teaspoons of sugar in a serving. This is about ½ of our daily allowance - in one tub of yoghurt!
If a food item contains more sugar than anything else it must appear first on the ingredient list. But sugar can be listed as multiple types of sugar, which will likely push it down the list. You would see this as agave, fruit puree, juice concentrate, or fructose, to name a few. How many sources of sugar can you find in the below label (natural and added - they still all add up)?
Have a look at some of your standard pantry items such as sauces, condiments, cereals, pasta sauces, and muesli bars. You'll be surprised at how easy you can reach 12 teaspoons, without even consuming any high sugar foods like chocolates, soft drinks, and lollies.
That’s it for this edition.
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