By Siti Maliyanah
Are you aware that uncontrolled sugar intake is very dangerous? That’s why people call it a silent killer.
All foods that include carbs, such as grains, fruits, and vegetables, also contain sugar in varying amounts. For instance, vegetables also have sugar. However, doctors and nutritionists believe that these foods, in particular, are not a serious issue since the sugar contained in it is considered natural sugar.
But the “added sugar,” is commonly used as a sweetener to add in the foods or drinks during the preparation or production of food in the kitchen or factory, kind of worrying. Added sugar can be a source of hidden calories and be linked to various health problems.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the maximum amount of added sugar consumed in a day should not exceed ten percent of the total amount of energy that we take in. Therefore, the recommended maximum amount of added sugar that individuals should consume daily, including sugar disguised in food, is only ten teaspoons (or 50 grams).
Despite this, those who continue to consume an excessive amount of sugar will increase the number of calories in their bodies which have potential to gain weight or obesity. The obesity prevalence in Malaysia, according to the Ministry of Health, is among the highest in Southeast Asia at 15.6 percent, surpassing countries like Brunei (14.1%), Thailand (10%), and Indonesia (6.9%).
Obesity is associated with several chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Surprisingly, children as young as 12 years old have been diagnosed with diabetes, and the obesity prevalence among Malaysia’s youth is also rising day by day. Therefore, it is essential for people of all ages, not just adults, to be aware of the risks of consuming excessive sugar.
Controlling sugar intake can be accomplished by following the suggestions provided below:
- Replace sugary drinks with plain water. From the research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, plain water can boost metabolism by 30 percent in both men and women. This helps in improving our body’s ability to burn fat.
- Take note of the ingredients listed on the food label. Some products have a lot of sugar, which is more than the daily amount that experts recommend. Even worse, some food manufacturers attempt to deceive consumers about the sugar level in their products by saying that their products are lower or free from sugar, but actually, no. Besides, if the sugar content is first stated in the ingredient list, it is the key component (high level). Therefore, people must read and disclose product labels to ensure that food manufacturers do not take advantage of them and be more sensitive.
- Replace desserts or snacks with fruit. Usually, we eat cakes or snacks that contain high sugar content and calories after meals. Changing it with fruits has been shown to lower a person’s chance of acquiring cancer, heart problems, and type 2 diabetes, among other things.
- Be more creative with your foods. We tend to believe sugar is an essential ingredient. Honey and stevia can be used as a substitute for sugar. Thus, to have a healthy body, we must be more creative.
- Create a daily log of your food consumption. Writing down what we’ve eaten makes it easier to figure out how much sugar we’ve consumed in a day. This also helps control the number of foods consumed, resulting in a more well-balanced diet.
Besides individual initiatives, government encouragement is also crucial in forming a healthy society. Among the measures adopted by the government is the imposition of a tax on sugary sweet beverages (SSBs). This strategy has been in force since 2019 with the hope that as the price of sugary drinks rises, customers will limit their sugar consumption. To control the rise in obesity and overweight people, the Malaysian Ministry of Health continued its efforts in nutrition education and promotion programmes while implementing the “hard policy.”
Allah S.W.T entrusted us to care for and protect our bodies. It is our responsibility to ensure that our bodies are in good health. A the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment.”
It is not too late for us to become better individuals. ***
(Siti Maliyanah is a student in Department of Business Administration, Kulliyyah of Economic and Management Sciences (KENMS). The article is part of ‘Responsible Consumerism’ course. The views expressed here are those of the writer/author and do not necessarily represent the views of IIUMToday,)