Coca-Cola will adopt government recommendations and introduce traffic light nutrition labels on the front of its cans and bottles. It had previously rejected the plans. BBC News reports that the colour-coded labels will show nutritional content in each container and percentage guidelines for daily consumption of fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories. Coca-Cola said that it had changed its stance after having gauged British consumers views on the scheme. The Food Doctor asks if you think this is good news and if it will make any difference to sugar consumption? The average soft drink contains between seven and seventeen teaspoons of sugar - one of the most addictive substances on the planet. Since soft drinks don’t contain any fibre or other nutrients, they create a much faster sugar rush than the equivalent amount of sugar in a food, so it’s not surprising that recent research has shown that sugary soft drinks actually alter the body’s metabolism. The regular influx of sugar cause changes to the genes inside our cells, the result of which is our muscles using sugar for energy instead of burning fat. This contributes to weight gain and increases the risk of long term health problems like diabetes. It’s also thought to be one of the factors in the rising rates of childhood obesity, as sugary drinks have been shown to increase children’s preference for sweet and salty foods Whilst there are more drinks on offer to us than we could ever possibly want, it is water that the body actually needs. Everything else is optional. Whilst fruit juices and smoothies are better options than most, they still provide the body with a sugar hit. Instead, water hydrates the body, keeping our cells happy and able to function at their best. Aim for 8 glasses throughout the day – and that includes fruit or herb teas.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 17:00:00 +0000
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