Last week I spent 15 minutes of my lunch hour choosing yoghurt. No joke. I stood in the refrigerator section of Coles umming and aahing over all the choices, not because I couldn’t decide what I wanted, but because I couldn’t find something that was both healthy and yummy.
See, yoghurt can be deceptive. It seems so healthy, full of dairy and fruit and has emblazoned ‘fat free’ all over it. But when you look closely, some of them are laden with sugar. Some of the popular brands have up to 30% of your daily sugar intake, in one itty bitty snack size serving.
Delicious but sweet fruity yoghurt. Photo: Flickr user Neest
I’ve become a little bit interested in sugar. This partly started when I began cooking foods for my daughter. When she first started on solids, I didn’t cook anything with additional sugar or salt because it’s not recommended for babies. I’ve relaxed a bit now but I still bake her muffins with grated carrot, apple and other delicious fruits hidden in it because she doesn’t eat fruit and veges on their own. In case you didn’t guess, she’s my only child…
I also blame Sarah Wilson for my interest in sugar. I’m certainly not an ‘I Quit Sugar’ devotee, however since I did a job interview last year with her, I’ve been more aware of her cause. I have to admit, some of it makes a lot of sense.
There are studies about how cholesterol and heart disease are caused by sugar, not fat. Then there was a study that came out last month about how sugar more addictive than cocaine. Last week the World Health Organisation recommended that we cut our sugar consumption ideally to six teaspoons a day.
We all know that there’s heaps of sugar in soft drinks, lollies etc… but I started thinking about less obvious sugar sources, like tomato sauce, bread and of course, yoghurt. How can I cut down on the sugar in these everyday items and make my diet even healthier?
Solution: I found this app yesterday which is going to save me so much time in the yoghurt aisle. It’s called ‘FoodSwitch’, what you do is scan in a product bar code and it will tell you how good or bad it is. It will then recommend other, healthier products.
You can change what type of products it recommends – there is SaltSwitch, GlutenSwitch, FatSwitch, EnergySwitch and SugarSwitch. I just tried the regular FoodSwitch and it gave me some great options for other yoghurts.
I have to admit there are many days when nothing makes me feel happier than a big bowl of ice-cream. As long as those days are only occasionally, I think I’m doing an ok job. And for most days when my will power is good, then this app is perfect.
PS. I am not an employee of these companies, I don’t even have Bupa as my health insurance provider. I’m just a person who loves a good new app and likes to share it!