AOK warning Avoid too much sugar

Expert calls for better protection against sugar for children
Sugar is a very unhealthy food that is used as an ingredient in much of the food products of our society today. For many people, a life without the sweetmaker would be inconceivable. Especially now at Christmas time a lot of sugar is consumed in any form. The experts from the AOK therefore warned in a recent press release about the effects of sugar.

Too much sugar is unhealthy. Almost all children have heard this phrase at some point. But even with adults no other food is as popular as the sweetener. It should never be forgotten that too much sugar harms the human body. An education of the consumers, over the consequences of the sugar consumption is urgently necessary, explained the experts of the AOK.

The average sugar consumption in Germany is clearly too high. It threatens serious consequences for the health. (Image: krmk / fotolia.com)

Sugar in many drinks and foods
Sugar is included in almost all of our everyday foods. Thus, it is hard not to consume too much sugar throughout the day. In the morning we often take sugar in the toast to us, in a ready pizza for lunch is also a lot of sugar and in the evening in front of the TV many like to eat some chocolate or similar sweets. Now, considering how much sugar is in our drinks, it's no wonder that the average German consumes too much sugar.

Expert calls for advertising ban on sweets in children's television
It is very important that especially our children are protected from sugar, explained the expert for prevention, Dr. med. Kai Kolpatzik from the AOK. The negative health effects of sugar could greatly affect the lives of our children and then persecute them throughout their lives. The physician was therefore for a ban on advertising sweets on children's television. In addition, sweets and soft-drinks machines should not be set up in schools, Dr. Kolpatzik added in the AOK press release. The expert also asked for a clearer label on food packaging. The label should be easy to understand for anyone and leave no question unanswered. The physician advocated a kind of traffic light system for the sugar content in our food. Such easy to understand food claims, but would still be missing in Germany, criticized the AOK expert. At the end of the day, however, every human being must be careful to live a healthy life and not consume too much sugar. Kolpatzik.

Avoid soft drinks and finished products
But how can we consume less sugar in our daily lives? What should we pay particular attention to in our diet and which products contain a lot of sugar? Everyone should take care that he consumes sweets and soft drinks only in small quantities. Such products almost always contain a lot of sugar. We should also generally cook as possible with fresh ingredients and control the list of ingredients contained in all finished products, explains the expert. It is also very important to consume regular meals, as this keeps the blood sugar at a constant level, explained Dr. med. Kolpatzik. If our blood sugar drops too much, we may develop some cravings. If you feel like getting something sweet, you better access fruit and dried fruit before you open the bag of gummy bears or a packet of chocolate, the expert continued. Even an unsweetened cup of coffee could help in such cases, added Kolpatzik.