It has been a trend lately to go ‘sugar free’ – I even purchased a book myself that contained some recipes for food I could eat without sugar, but I found it hard to commit to a total sugar free diet. I wanted to learn about making sense of sugar. There are many gurus out there advocating plans that eliminate sugar, but sugar does have a role in a healthy balanced diet.
The Making Sense of Sugar campaign that launched last year, aims to educate and inform people about sugar and help show the importance of a balanced diet that includes all major food groups and the importance of regular exercise. Watch this video to learn more.
If you started January on a diet, you’re not alone. I did too – and am trying to be sensible with an eating and exercise plan that I can keep up for the long term. However not all of us go for the long term view and new research reveals that a third (34%) of mums admit to having tried a ‘quick fix’ diet already this year. However, for many, it appears it hasn’t been worth the effort, as it has had little impact on their overall weight loss.
The research of 2,000 mums, carried out by AB Sugar reveals that the average amount of time stuck to a ‘quick fix’ diet is just two weeks; almost half (49%) admit they didn’t stick to their latest diet, almost half (47%) say they lost weight but didn’t manage to maintain it, and over three quarters (80%) admit to going back to their old eating habits when they ditch it.
Registered Dietician, Helen Bond, says, “There are many times throughout the year – including after an excessive Christmas, before a holiday or ahead of a special occasion – when some of us would like to lose those extra pounds. So it can be tempting to go for the ‘quick fix’ diet that promises to get us into shape in a few weeks, or start skipping meals to save calories and lose that weight. However, as our research shows, this short term, quick diet approach isn’t working.” Watch Helen’s top tips on maintaining a healthy balanced diet.
Dr Julian Cooper, Head of Food Science, AB Sugar: “For those wanting to achieve and maintain a balanced diet, one way to help is by taking a look at the nutritional labels which are on all pre-packaged food and drinks.”
Mums are urged to try to live by the 80/20 rule and enjoy a healthy balanced diet. Here are some more findings from the research:
• Over a third of mums (34%) kicked off 2015 with a ‘quick fix’ diet and average time they stuck to it was just two weeks
• Almost half (47%) say they have lost weight through a ‘quick fix’ diet but haven’t managed to maintain it, with 80% going back to their old eating habits
• Three in five (60%) admit to skipping a meal to save calories – one in five say they skip breakfast
• Mums advised by Registered Dietician, Helen Bond, to reset ‘diet dial’ and aim for 80/20 balance
You can learn more about the Making Sense of Sugar campaign at the Making Sense of Sugar website including recipes and information about food labelling.
Disclosure: This post was written in association with Making Sense of Sugar. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make JuggleMum possible!