Is sugar a health killer? Stay away from metabolic syndrome by doing this

Taiwanese people like to have a hand-shaken drink every day. It is equally popular in summer and winter. In addition, hand-shaken cup brands are constantly innovating and introducing new flavors, making it even more difficult to resist its temptation. Do you habitually have a sugary drink after a meal to feel satisfied? Be careful you are addicted to the hand shake cup! While enjoying it, think more about the bad effects of eating too many sweets that many nutritionists, Chinese medicine practitioners, weight loss doctors and other experts have been calling for: sugary drinks are very high in calories and do not satisfy you. It is easy to consume too many calories and cause obesity, increasing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease!

Say NO to bad candy! Stay away from metabolic syndrome crisis

According to the latest "National Dietary Indicators" released by the National Health Administration, the daily intake of added sugar should be less than 10 sugar cubes (2,000 calories), and the World Health Organization even recommends that it would be healthier to halve the daily sugar intake. However, a 700ml cup of full-sugar bubble milk tea not only contains nearly 12 sugar cubes, which is already over the limit, but more importantly, the sugar in commercial beverages mainly comes from sucrose and high fructose syrup. Fructose kinase is highly active and is less regulated by adenosine triphosphate in the body. During rapid metabolism, fatty acids and triglycerides are produced and accumulated in the liver and fat cells. It also increases uric acid concentration and increases insulin resistance, which in turn causes obesity, metabolic syndrome, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It can be said that "the more you drink sugary drinks, the faster you will develop chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome!"

Vasanti Malik, a doctor of public health at Harvard University, and his research team tracked the diets of nearly 120,000 men and women and found that women who drank more than two cups of sugary drinks a day had a 63% increased risk of premature death, while men had a 29% increased risk! It can be seen that excessive intake of sugar will cause great harm to health.

However, the first step to building a healthy physique is to cut off sugar, give up sugar, and stay away from sugar, so that all the sweetness in life is out? In fact, as long as you understand the key points of the good and bad of "sugar", you can make your life healthy and sweet!

Sugar is not a health killer. Moderate intake of good sugar is more beneficial to health.

What is "good sugar"? Let’s start by distinguishing between “sugar” and “sugar”! The "sugar" with the character "酉" on the side is a complex sugar, which includes refined sugar and starch. It is converted and absorbed by the human body into glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for the human body and is regulated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP), citric acid and insulin when metabolized in the body. The "sugar" with the character "米" on the side is commonly seen refined sugars such as fructose and granulated sugar. Its high content of active fructokinase can easily cause blood sugar fluctuations and accumulate fat. In short, it is healthier to choose sugars with a high glucose content.

From a scientific perspective, the structure of "sugar" can be divided into four categories:

1. Monosaccharide: The smallest unit of sugar, such as glucose, fructose and galactose.

2. Disaccharides: composed of one monosaccharide molecule, common ones are: maltose, sucrose and lactose.

3. Oligosaccharides: composed of 3 to 10 monosaccharides, such as oligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides and other sugar substitutes.

4. Polysaccharides: composed of more than 10 monosaccharides, such as starch, glycogen, fiber and dextrin.

The human body absorbs monosaccharides most efficiently. Honey is a healthy choice that contains a monosaccharide mixed with various nutrients. Honey contains 60~85% monosaccharides (glucose) and oligosaccharides, and about 12~23% water. It also contains substances such as invertase, amylase and various amino acids. It is also rich in hundreds of trace ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, phenols and flavonoids. In addition to being a sweetener for beverages, honey can also replace the sugar added to dishes and desserts. Generally speaking, the amount of honey used can be reduced by about 25% compared to refined sugar, while still maintaining the desired sweet flavor. It contains less sugar and is healthier.

Say no to sugary drinks and start with honey to build your health

Honey is the ultimate extract of the fragrance collected by bees from the earth. The place where it is collected and the source of the flowers are undoubtedly the key to its health and deliciousness. For example, "Manuka Honey" is produced in New Zealand, a pollution-free country, and the nectar is sourced from a rare native tea tree. Modern scientists have discovered that honey collected from Manuka contains a unique active factor, UMF (Unique Manuka Factor), making it the ultimate honey that is popular in the international health circle.

To ensure the essence of every drop of manuka honey, the independent organization New Zealand UMF® Honey Association (UMFHA) has established strict quality inspection standards. Only when the three natural compounds of unique manuka factor (Leptosperin), dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and methylglyoxal (MGO) meet the standards can "UMF®" be placed on the outer packaging as a basis for identification when purchasing. In addition, it is systematically labeled with UMF5+, UMF10+, UMF15+ and UMF20+. The higher the coefficient, the more UMF ingredients it contains, so consumers can choose according to their personal needs.

DIY summer natural drinks to quench your thirst without any burden

It is not difficult to enjoy the sweet taste while taking into account health and no burden. The method is quite simple. Just add the pure natural UMF Manuka honey to boiled water, and add your favorite fresh fruits for flavoring, such as versatile lemon, kiwi, and low GI kiwi, and you can have a cup of cool, sweet and burden-free drink. It not only satisfies your appetite, but also takes care of your health. Let’s try it now!

【Manuka Honey Lemonade】

Ingredients:

1. About 20~25g of Manuka honey

2. Half a freshly squeezed lemon

3. 500ml pure water

4. A little ice