We all know that two of the greatest perks of the freelance life are working from home and the freedom to have breaks when you want them. But this freedom can be dangerous.
Discipline and Doughnuts
It’s not just the discipline to manage the workload, avoid distractions and actually get the work done that freelancers need. They also need the discipline to eat healthily too, when they’re so close 
to cupboards bursting with food – some of which, we’ll guarantee, will be full of sugar (there may not be a doughnut in sight, but sugar you’re not even aware of will be hiding in those cupboards).
And in case you hadn’t heard, sugar is the new super-villain of nutrition (saturated fats are so last year).
What’s the problem with sugar?
Sugar is very high calorie, which wouldn’t be so bad if it had nutritional benefits. Unfortunately for those of us with a sweet tooth, it doesn’t. And if we consume too much sugar (and believe me, nearly all of us do, even if we believe otherwise), it can cause problems.
- If we don’t use all the sugar we consume, our body will store it for us – as fat. This can be in fatty tissues, or as a layer of dangerous, hard-to-shift visceral fat around our organs, or in our liver, where it can cause fatty liver disease.
- It can cause obesity, and in turn heighten our risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, depression, respiratory problems, sleep apnoea, gout, osteoarthritis, infertility problems and some cancers, including breast cancer and bowel cancer.
So how much is too much? The WHO (World Health Organisation) recently recommended reducing our sugar intake to just 10% of our daily calories, and added that cutting down to 5% would provide significant extra health benefits. It’s this 5% limit that the UK Government is now recommending too. It’s worth noting, though, that this recommendation is for limiting our free sugars – those added to foods or naturally present in fruit juices, honey and syrup – rather than intrinsic sugars (those naturally occurring in milk or whole fruit), as there’s currently no evidence that these have adverse effects on our health.
For adults, this 5% equates to around 25-30g of sugar daily, depending on your size and activity levels. That’s around seven teaspoons (1 teaspoon = 4g of sugar).
The Snack Blacklist
All these treats will blow your daily sugar allowance in one go. Hold on to your hats:
- 5 or 6 Jaffa Cakes
- 6 or 7 custard creams
- 7 Liquorice Allsorts
- A standard 330ml can of regular red-label Coke
- A Mars Bar
- A ‘big pouch’ 330ml regular Capri Sun
- 2 Strawberry Go Ahead fruit bakes
- 200ml of red grape juice
- 250ml of apple juice
- 2 slices of bread and honey
Grab any of these from the cupboard, and you should spend the rest of the day avoiding ketchup, fruit juice and practically any item that isn’t fruit or veg eaten whole.
Sugar in Disguise
Before you run your eyes down the ingredients of every item of grocery you possess and declare triumphantly, ‘A-ha! Sugar-free!’ take another look. See any of these mentioned?
Glucose, dextrose, maltose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, honey, molasses, syrup, fruit juice concentrate.
Yep, they’re all just different forms of sugar, and the ones at the end are often hidden away in those foods that declare themselves ‘healthy’, ‘light’ or ‘low’. Often, lower fat foods have more sugar in than standard varieties in a bid to make them taste more pleasant. Life is cruel.
And it’s not just the fizzy drinks, chocolate, sweets, cakes, biscuits. Check the ingredients of that salad cream or pickle before you add them to your ‘healthy’ lunchtime salad sandwich –and those bottled cooking sauces you use. As for those shop-bought pizza, crackers, soups, curries, ready meals… you probably don’t want to look.
How Do I Fight Back?
- Be Aware: Check the ingredients and sugar content of all your purchases.
- Swap:
- Those latte sachets for a coffee made with semi-skimmed milk, or part milk, part water
- Those cereals with added sugar and honey for plain cereals or porridge with fruit for added flavour
- Fizzy drinks for diet varieties, or no added sugar squashes made up with sparkling water
- Doughnuts, cakes and biscuits for fruit or sweet treats that at least provide nutrition, such as malt loaf
- Drop:
- The sugar you add to cereals and hot drinks (wean yourself off gradually)
It will take a while for your body and taste buds to adjust so make gradual changes and start with the ones you find easier to handle first. Ultimately, the best way to avoid grabbing those sugary snacks and drinks is not to buy them in the first place!