HOW MUCH SUGAR SHOULD WE EAT PER DAY ?

HOW MUCH SUGAR SHOULD WE CONSUME PER DAY ?

 

Image :  thedailystar.net

  

Every one loves to eat sugar be it in form of pastries , cakes , puddings , kheer , etc . But if eaten above a limit , it can cause various diseases in form of diabetes , weight gain and so on .

SO WHATS THE LIMIT LIKE ?

WHO , in an article , dated 4th March ,2015 had reduced the daily recommended  intake of free sugars for adult and children  to 5% of their daily energy intake which comes to about 25 grams (6 teaspoons ).The earlier recommended limit was 10 % of the total calories intake .

(Source WHO)

The term sugar or free sugar or added sugar in this post applies to the glucose , fructose and sucrose / table sugar added to food and drinks by manufacturers , cook or consumers and sugar naturally present in honey , syrups , fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. 

In a different version , the American Heart Association has categorised the maximum daily intake of added sugar intake per day  as listed below 

• Men - 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons

 •Women - 25  grams or 6 teaspoons

HOW TO REDUCE SUGAR CONSUMPTION 

1. Start drinking tea coffee without sugar 

2. Cut you intake of colas, energy drinks ,syrups  gradually 

3. Reduce your fruit juice intake quantity

4. Try to replace juices with whole fruits 

5. Cut down on cookies and other sweet biscuits 

6. Diebetic people can opt for Stevia , a herbal artificial sweetener , it contains 0 calories 

7. Cut down sugar addition in sweet dishes like cakes, sewai , etc gradually  by reducing sugar addition  by 1/3rd or half .

CONCLUSION 

Excessive intake of sugar has been linked to various diseases like obesity , tooth decay , diabetes , heart diseases and so on . So it will good for our health if we take /consume sugar in the above mentioned recommended doses . 

CAN CINNAMON HELP IN CURING DIABETES

CAN #CINNAMON HELP IN CURING DIABETES  & REAL VS FAKE CINNAMON

INTRODUCTION 

[If  in a hurry , you can scroll down to see the study of cinnamon VS diabetes ]

Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases now a days which has affected approximately 415 million people in the world i.e. roughly 1 in every 11 person is a diabetic !! The figures are expected to rise upto 642 million by 2040 (source : diabetes.co.uk).

Image source : Wikipedia 

  What is CINNAMON ?

It is spice that has been extracted from the inner bark of cinnamonum verum tree having the properties of anti immflamatory , anti diabetic anti cancer , immunity booster , anti bacterial & fungal , heart friendly among others . It's has the highest anti oxidant in comparison to top 26 herbs  like oregano garlic clove etc . (Sources NCIB/NLM.)

SO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED ?

Cinnamon is widely used in Indian dishes from veg pulao to non veg biryanis to ayurvedic medicines . It's used in the treatment of arthritis ,weight loss , lowering heart diseases (cuts bad cholesterol LDL and triglycerides) , treatment of Alzhimer's & Parkinson diseases etc and the most important in diabetic treatments .

An IT professional Mr John ,58 years old , had started consuming cinnamon to control his diabetes but after some time developed liver problems . Later it was found out that use of cassia , a cheap species imported from Vietnam & China , was the real culprit. It resembles cinnamon. After mr John stopped taking cinnamon his liver started recovering gradually .

Indian govt states that the annual consumption of cinnamon is 12000 tonnes annual . It imports 10000 tonnes of cassia from China Vietnam & Indonesia and 200 tonnes of cinnamon from Srilanka.India's domestic production rate is just 80-100 tonnes/yr. But contrary to the govt reports one trader from Kanpur had alone imported 9500 tonnes so the consumption rate may be way way above the govt figures. And guess what the market is surely flooded with these fake cassia , which replaces the original cinnamon . Import rates of cassia around 2015 was RS 35/kg and cinnamon was RS 200/kg which is further sold @ 150 -600/kg . A study by IITR , Lucknow found that coumarin , a chemical found in cassia , the fake cinnamon , damages liver & kidney . (Source - downtoearth.org.in)

Cassia imports from Vietnam were temperorily banned (around aug 2016) but again the ban was revoked around March  2017 , which definately is not a good news

   

REAL VS FAKE IDENTIFICATION METHODS !!

Have you ever gone to the market and bought those hard dark brown cinnamon sticks or sometimes bought sticks in the name of cinnamon , which do not emit any or little fragrance ? I now remember the mistakes which I had done earlier as I did not know how to differentiate btw fake & real cinnamon 

Fake cinnamon or cassia , is generally grown in China Vietnam and Indonesia where as the real cinnamon grows in Srilanka. In India it's grown  in Kerela and some parts of North East . Cassia , other than causing liver &kidney damage may cause headaches & digestive problems . An article in Oct ,2015 TOI stated that cassai may be carcinogenic i.e. may cause cancer .

THE DIFFERENCES : 

• The real cinnamon will have many spirals designs inside (see the cover pic properly) where as the fake cinnamon will have a tunnel kind of hole inside it .There will be nothing spiral inside it . 

• The real cinnamon is very fragile / weak , hence it breaks easily but the fake cassia is not easy to break • The real cinnamon is light brown in colour where as the fake cinnamon will have a dark brown or reddish brown colour

• Real cinnamon can be grounded to powder very easily at home but it won't be the same case with fake cinnamon 

• Real cinnamon has a delicate aromatic smell where as the fake cinnamon gives a pungent strong aromatic smell 

• Real cinnamon powder will be smooth where the fake cinnamon powder will be coarse (Sources - downtoearth.org.in / Dr . Vivek Joshi )

Will update it when I find any new trick/news on this . 

HOW WILL IT HELP .

Sometimes we may find real cinnamon in our local markets or shops . Use the above mentioned tricks to spot the differences . Further more , buy from trusted shops/aruyveic centres  in your area who sell organic products . Buy whole cinnamon than buying it's powdered form .

CINNAMON VS DIABETES 

Cinnamon reacts with the following herbs
Bitter melon , garlic , Siberian ginseng , panax , Devils claw , Fenugreek , chromium , horse chestnut and certain diabetes medicines so cheak with your doc before using them .Find all the evidences / sources at the end of the post .

CAN CINNAMON REVERSE DIABETES .

The article was published on the website diabetes.co.uk (1) dated ?? , The ARM found that consumption of 1 gram / day of cinnamon can increase insulin sensitivity and management or curbing diabetes totally and cinnamon was shown to be the most effective one (2)  The basis was a research done by Dr Anderson & team on animals to see the effectiveness of 49 herbs including falxseed , gensing basil etc , in which cinnamon proved to be the most effective one . Further more the article states that consumption of 6grams of cinnamon after meal reduced high blood sugar levels .

SO WHATS NEW .

A test on 8 individuals aged 25 yrs + showed that it can imitate as insulin and lower blood sugar by moving glucose to the cells (3)

In a small study of 7 humans aged 26+ , it was found that consuming 5g of cinnamon powder reduced insulin sensitivity( acts as natural insulin ) immidiately after consumption  for a period of12 hours (4)

CONCLUSION

Cinnamon has the potential to curb diabetes though more tests on a large basis is required . Always use original cinnamon powder and not cassia cinnamon , which is a fake cinnamon .
As in all the tests 1-6 grams of powder has been used , you can drink 1-6 grams(appx. 1 and half teaspoon) of cinnamon powder one hour before breakfast with a glass of water . Do not eat anything one hour after or before consuming the powder . Consult your doctor for the amount of powder you should eat . Over consumption of anything is harmful for health so always follow dosage instructions .
Last two lines , also make necessary changes in your life styles . Do exercise , walking for min 1 hr per day and avoid junk foods , colas , alcohol , smoking as this disease can be countered by leaving/avoiding those things/habit which aggravates the blood sugar level . Be relaxed , do not take stress . Eat fresh seasonal green leafy vegetables , fruits & foods . Good luck 😊

Sources 1  https://bit.ly/2M4E2eM  2. https://bit.ly/2SxxVB1
4 https://bit.ly/30Unnz5
3 https://bit.ly/2xXa8AT

Article credit - diabetes.co.uk

TOP 5 effective natural solutions to control DIABETES

HOW TO NATURALLY CONTROL DIABETES EFFECTIVELY

   Diabetes, also known as Diabetes Mellitus , has now a days become a common problem for people all over the world. China has about 114 millions diabetic patients while India has about 73 milions .       It is a group of diseases that results in too much sugar (high blood glucose ) in our blood , which in turn leads to other serious health problems . 

WHAT IS HIGH BLOOD GLUCOSE/SUGAR

                           Image : max pixel

    Glucose is a type of sugar derived from carbohydrates (sugars & starches), present in the food that we consume, in the stomach by acid & enzymes. Glucose is different from the sugar that we get in market which is "sucrose". The stomach and small intestine  in turn send these glucose to our blood. Hence glucose in blood is also called blood glucose  . Insulin a harmone, which is produced in the Pancreas by beta cells , helps blood glucose to get into our cells for energy or storage. 
     But in the case of diabetes , the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin [ type - 1 diabetes ] or when our cells don't respond to insulin [type - 2 diabetes ] ,the glucose level in our blood rises as it is not broken down for energy or stored in the cells , which is also termed as high blood glucose or high blood sugar .


   Today I will tell you 5 easy & natural remedies by which you can control blood sugar levels very effectively and even may cure Diabetes by regular usage of these remedies.

1.   HIBISCUS/gudhal LEAVES DRINK

Image : Pixabay

        It is one of the plant that is most commonly found in India. The plant bears red flowers. This plant's leaves & flowers are used in health & cosmetic industries too due to it's medicinal benefits.
   
  PROCEDURE

• Take 8-10 hibiscus leaves and wash them
• Make a paste of those leaves 
• Add 4 spoon of this paste in a glass of water 
• Leave it overnight
• Drink it in an empty stomach the next morning Do not eat/ drink anything 1 hour before or after consuming it

WHY IT WORKS

  Ferulic acid is found in the leaves of this plant , which is highly effective in diabetes by curbing the blood sugar level. Within 15 days you will see your sugar levels improving drastically .

2.  DRUMSTICK/sajna LEAVES DRINK
    This has efficient potential of treating type 2 diabetes if regularly consumed and is considered on of the most effective remedies

PROCEDURE

• Take a cup of drumstick leaves (thoroughly washed)
• Put it in a mixer/grinder and add a glass of water 
• Grind them to make juice 
• Drink it every day in the morning /evening 30 mins before breakfast/lunch 
• Do not consume any medicines 1 hour before of after consuming the drink 

WHY IT WORKS

    An acid , ASCORBIC, is found in drumstick leaves which increases the natural production of insulin drastically ,which in turn helps in lowering our blood sugar levels . Those who take injections of insulin , this juice is like natural insulin for them .As it's also rich in fiber content , it helps us in boosting our metabolism and immune system .

 3.  BAY LEAVES/tejpatta or tejpaat , AEGLE/bail MARMELOS, BLACK PLUM/jamun SEEDS & FENUGREEK SEEDS/methi dana
 
      Bay leaves are used extensively in Indian cooking. Bail is also a plant also found extensively in the Indian continent along with Jamun . Fenugreek seeds is available in any local grocery store .Dry bail leaves and jamun seeds in the sun.
Make powder of all the above mentioned 4 ingredients separately .

PROCEDURE

• Take 50 grams bay leaf powder , 150 grams bail leaves powder , 100 grams black plum/jamun powder and 50 grams Fenugreek powder
• Mix them and store in a tight glass container
• Take a cup of Luke warm water
• Add a spoon of the powder
• Drink 1hour before breakfast daily

WHY IT WORKS

   The bail leaves have antibiotic properties in them which reduces the blood sugar levels in our body . The jamun seeds have anti oxydent properties and rich in fiber which works wonder in controlling diabetes. Bay leaves improves the insulin function in our body and is helpful in type 2 diabetes ( 1) where as Fenugreek improves glocose tolerance and lowers blood sugar levels in both type 1 & 2 diabetes. 

4. BITTER GOURD /Karela

                            Image : Pixabay
  
   In diabetes , the sugar levels in our body are high and in order to curb this , consumption/usage of opposite foods helps lower the levels very fast . The opposite of sugar is bitter. Hence usage of bitter gourd , neem leaves Fenugreek & aloe vera works wonders to curb it. You may not know but bitter gourd is also called plant insulin. It is rich in vit A,B1, B2 ,C and nutrients found in this plant drastically lower the blood and urine sugar in our body which is also helpful in high BP & hypertension. Even bitter gourd seeds are very beneficial in curbing blood sugar levels

PROCEDURE 1

• Drink a glass of bitter juice daily 

PROCEDURE 2

• 2spoon Indian gooseberry /Amla powder
• 1spoon bitter gourd seed powder
• 1 spoon Fenugreek powder
• Half spoon neem leaf powder
• Consume it in a glass of water in empty stomach in the morning

   Since it is bitter in taste you can take a pinch of salt or suck upon a small piece of lemon for the bitter taste to fade off. Taking it regularly may help you cure  diabetes and you won't even require to take medicines .

PROCEDURE 3

• Take 1 to 2 kilo bitter gourd 
• Make it's  juice 
• Take a small tub/bucket
• Add about 1 litre warm water (so much so that it doesn't burn your feet/skin ) in the tub/bucket
• Add the juice in this warm water 
• Now sit on a chair and put your feet in the tub/bucket for 20-30 mins
• Make sure both your feet sink in the water for best benefits 
• Keep rubbing your foot with each other as you do while washing your feets. 
• Do this 2-3 times /week for maximum benefits

    Our feet pours will suck the bitterness of the vegetable , which will instantly lower the increased blood sugars of our body . You will feel it's bitterness in mouth after sitting for 20 minutes. 

CONCLUSION 
   
   Other than this try to eat very less sugary foods or even stop using sugar because processed sugar is full of chemicals having 0 nutrients. If you feel like having sweets , eat fruits as they have natural sugars in them like papaya , guava , promagranade , pineapple , kiwi , oranges etc. 
   Also when you are using these home made remedies also have a positive thinking i.e. have a trust on these remedies . That will make a lot of difference also avoid those foods that are to be avoided . Do not take stress. In order to curb stress , do meditations and physical exercises on a regular basis. They are also a potential factor in curing any disease . Avoid tobacco , cigarettes , etc . Also the positive thinking will make you internally happy hence  help you fight stress as little stress can boost your blood sugar levels. 

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