Muscle Evolution Muscle_Evolution__July-August_2017 | Page 84

“IN 2015 AMERICAN FAMILIES SPENT MORE MONEY ON FOOD AND DRINK OUTSIDE THEIR HOME THAN ON GROCERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY.” AROUND THE CLOCK JUNK significantly, but not as a result of more calorific regular meals. Rather, this is because of the increase in people snacking on processed convenience food that are laden with manufactured fats and sugar. Behavioural scientists have found that people now make their food choices based on how far away the next meal is. We would now rather snack on junk food after making an impulsive, hunger-driven decision than waiting for a well-planned meal to be prepared, which is likely to be more nutritious. According to Professor Tim Benton of the University of Leeds, who specialises in food security and sustainability, the global food system Obesity rates have risen sharply since the invention of the industrial meal. Food has become processed to save time and effort, and make money for manufacturers. Our diets have been outsourced to factories, fast-food outlets and restaurants. Our food is being bagged, jarred, canned, doused with sauces and manufactured with preservatives, all so that we have access to ready-to-cook or ready- to-eat meals around the clock. To this end, in 2015 American families spent more money on food and drink outside their home than on groceries for the first time in history. Over the last few decades average calorie intakes have risen is built on incredibly cheap calories, which is the reason obesity levels have more than doubled since the 1980s. Benton slaps the hard facts on the table by pointing out that although the food trade in many cases helped reduce famine around the world, it also meant that “the poorest of poor have access to cheap calories”. His recent report on food production also showed that over 50 percent of the world's population is not of a healthy weight. "The poorest anywhere still struggle to get sufficient calories and are underweight, but in our rich countries, poverty often does not stop people being able to eat (and drink) calories, but it does stop them having a nutrient-rich diet.” OBESITY ONLY TRANSITORY Immobility as a result of social globalisation is another contributing factor for obesity spiralling out of control. According to Dr. Joan Costa- Font, how people work and live is more responsible for alarming obesity levels than the wider availability of cheaper processed foods. "Our food intake is driven towards meeting the needs of a pre-global (socially speaking) world, where people would have to walk to places, and where there would not be as many energy-saving activities as today. Individuals would have closer personal social contacts, and would cook and spend more time on daily chores,” says Costa-Font, who was involved in a study which looked at the increase in globalisation in 26 countries between 1989 and 2005. The report says that the rise in obesity is only transitory as more people learn how to eat and adjust their lifestyle to a healthier one. Costa-Font suggests that once people make better food choices and adapt to a lifestyle where they move more and eat WHERE THE SUGAR RUSH COMES FROM One 355ml can has approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar. One 355ml juice has just over 8 teaspoons of sugar. One 355ml sports drink contains just over 5 teaspoons of sugar. Mochas, flavoured lattes and other coffee drinks have at least 5 teaspoons of added sugar. less, normal weight will again prevail. Governments have also started putting sin taxes, previously reserved for alcohol and tobacco, on sugary drinks and foods as they contribute to the occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are both on the increase in developing countries. This is the major reason behind global food manufacturers reducing the sugar content in their products, which could mark a turning point in the sugar industry that has seen linear growth for over half a century. Even global giants such as Coca Cola and PepsiCo have vowed to reformulate their products to include a lower sugar content, while soda makers in Asia have been using more high-fructose corn syrup, which is significantly cheaper than sugar. SUGAR: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? Nutritionists recommend people consume no more than 10 percent of their total calories in the form of added sugars. At 2,000 calories per day that is 200 calories from added sugar. There are 16 calories in one teaspoon of sugar, which works out to 12 teaspoons a day. The average person has more than 73g of sugar per day, which translates to about 18 to 20 teaspoons. The Heart Association's recommendation is about 24g, or 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women, and 36g or 9 teaspoons for men. Added sugars consist of anything www.muscleevolution.co.za 81