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The Health and Fitness Express contains
the random and organised thoughts of John Miller |
I love the smell of rubber on Christmas morning.
I grew up in Whyalla in a family of four boys and the smell of rubber is
definitely the smell of Christmas. I can smell and picture the lounge
room as I write - pillow slips with a new pair of flippers or goggles,
some beach bats, buckets and spades, a toy bulldozer and dump truck, or
a new bike standing up against the wall. I'm reminded of Christmas every
time I go into a sports store or bike shop.
I believe in Father Christmas. All those years ago, in the middle of the
night, he'd filled up the pillow slips, eat his cake and sip his drink
for the delight, several hours later, of four small boys, wide eyed with
expectation. For weeks before there'd be the tension of expectation,
'what's he going to bring'.
We were never disappointed. Bikes, cricket bats, tennis racquets with a
ball on an elastic string. What a guy. He was a god. No wonder the named
a religion after him.
Then he did it again for my own children Jo and Lisa. You'd watch their
eyes boggling with excitement as they opened their presents and know
that this belief had been passed on, and the great man had quietly done
his work and then slipped away under cover of night. The presents
delivered without expectation of gratitude, except the look on a kids
face as they were opened up.
This year because the girls live overseas he's done his work early. But
he knows Lisa in London will appreciate the Aussie Survival Kit and
demolish the tube of condensed milk and the Cherry Ripe in one session;
and if she'd known about it, Jo in Palo Alto would have dreamed of
getting a Kath and Kim DVD.
Yes, dear reader, there is a Father Christmas and I know that when you
open your presents from under the tree you'll be thinking of him, with
his red coat and beard.
NEWS FROM GLYCEMIA
When I wrote last I said I was going off to glycemia for a holiday and
that I'd report back. I'm going to delay the report until the next
newsletter because I don't want to spoil your Christmas.
Instead, I've got some very good news for you. I was looking at the
Australian Sugar Industry website last night www.sugar.org.au and
noticed that all the things you thought were bad about sugar are in fact
myths.
So here it is, extracts direct from the Australian Food and Grocery
Council Sugar Forum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Most of these statements look pretty familiar, but the truth is
actually very different.
Myth 1 Sugar is just empty calories.
Fact - Sugar and food containing sugar are a vital part of a
balanced and varied diet. Sugar is part of the food group known as
carbohydrates, and one of the best sources of energy around. Sugar
provides the glucose which is stored as glycogen to be ‘burned’ by
muscles when required. The body can store only a limited amount of
glycogen therefore we need a regular supply of carbohydrates as food.
Myth 2 Sugar plays no role in a healthy lifestyle
Fact - If sufficient food and calories are not eaten, then the chance
of getting all the essential nutrients you need is reduced. Studies have
shown that a diet containing a moderate amount of sugar - both naturally
occurring and that added to foods - can provide more of most vitamins,
minerals and dietary fibre than a diet that involves actively avoiding
sugar.
Myth 3 Sugar adversely affects the behaviour of children.
Fact - There is absolutely no evidence that sugar causes changes in
children’s behaviour at all. Indeed, we all know that children should be
encouraged to be involved in sport and physical activities and to do
this, they need to eat plenty of carbohydrates for energy, like breads,
pasta, breakfast cereal and fruits. Sugar is useful to boost this intake
without being quite as filling for their little stomachs.
Myth 4 Eating sugar will make me fat.
Fact - Sugar alone doesn't make you fat. Eating more calories than
you burn up makes you gain body fat. Sugar is a carbohydrate, used by
the body as fuel just like any other. Gram for gram, carbohydrates
provide less than half the kilojoules of fat. Most carbohydrate-rich
foods are actually low in fat. Studies have shown that a higher intake
of sugar is associated with a lower intake of dietary fat, and vice
versa (the "Sugar-Fat See-Saw").
Myth 5 Sugar causes teeth decay.
Fact - Bad oral hygiene causes tooth decay. While most foods,
including sugar, will contribute to tooth decay over time when consumed
frequently, a simple routine of tooth-brushing and flossing daily will
prevent this.
Myth 6 Sugar contributes to heart disease.
Fact - Eating ordinary amounts of sugar is unlikely to affect blood
triglyceride levels at all. Consuming more carbohydrate foods, including
sugar, results in a lower fat diet, and a diet low in saturated fat
combined with physical activity is the key to good heart health.
Myth 7 People with diabetes cannot eat sugar.
Fact - Sugar does not cause diabetes, nor is it ‘bad’ for people
with diabetes. Carbohydrates are important in the diets of people with
diabetes and recommendations usually suggest most of the energy in the
diet comes from carbohydrate foods. Sugar has a moderate glycemic index
(GI) and can be included in meals and recipes in moderate amounts.
Myth 8 If I'm on a diet to lose weight then I should reduce the
amount of sugar I consume.
Fact - It is difficult to convert excess carbohydrates, including
sugar, into body fat. Also, dietary carbohydrate has a more powerful
effect on appetite control than fat - carbohydrates are better at
satisfying hunger. People who eat proportionally more sugar in their
diet tend to have a lower fat intake, and vice versa - the "Sugar-Fat
See-Saw".'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just so you know where that came from
'... the Australian Food and Grocery Council Sugar Forum, ... comprises
sugar refiners, food manufacturers and marketers of sugar produced by
Australian cane growers and raw sugar millers.
It seeks to address issues specific to the sector, particularly the
dissemination of scientifically sound information on sugar in the diet.
Advances in science have been substantial during the past decade with
many commonly held beliefs about sugar being challenged and, where
wrong, corrected.
The Forum believes it has a responsibility to help contribute to a
better understanding of the latest developments.
A raft of outdated beliefs about sugar has been disproved by recent
scientific knowledge debunking the incorrect perceptions about sugar
linkages to tooth decay, hyperactivity, and overweight.
The Forum hopes that this decade will see public attitudes and
understanding better reflect the scientific evidence of the past ten
years, with people being more at ease about sugar, as a good source of
energy which can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced and
varied diet.
The Sugar Forum comprises:
Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)
Sugar Australia
Queensland Sugar, Bundaberg Sugar, Manildra Sugar '
So there you have it, permission to eat all the sugar you want over the
next couple of weeks, secure in the knowledge that every grain is doing
you good, every grain is slimming you down. Thank heavens for scientific
evidence!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AWARDS
Our Fit and Healthy Gold Award goes to Prime Minister John Howard who
pounds the pavements with relentless vigour every morning, hail, rain or
shine wherever he is in the world. He's a great role model for fit and
healthy Australians, people who want to be fit and healthy and people
who would benefit from being fit and healthy.
If you want to be fit and healthy, do what John Howard does. Like a
smile it costs nothing.
Every time I don't get up and go for a run in the morning I think of
John Howard out there in his Vodafone sweater.
John Howard has been a much more diligent and persistent exerciser that
I've been this year; and it's not as if he's any less busy. I heard him
say on the wireless on New Year's Day this year that 'Physical activity
is the foundation of good health.' He's right.
MANDY RICE DAVIES AWARD
This years award goes to the Australian Sugar Industry for dispelling
the myths that we all hold dear about their product.
AND THAT'S ALL
May Father Christmas delight you on Christmas morning; may your pillow
slip be filled to over flowing; may 2004 be filled with happiness, joy
and ecstasy, and may you end up this time next year as fit as a trout,
lean as a greyhound and toey as a Roman sandal.
John Miller
MILLER HEALTH HOME
Miller Health is an integrated health management company
specializing in corporate health management seminar programs and occupational
health and fitness audits.
PS This year, instead of cake and a drink could I suggest that you leave
out a bowl of sugar for Father Christmas. It will give him plenty of
energy as he races around the world and won't fatten him up. Why bother
with food when you can eat sugar!
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you off the list.
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