STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Health and wellness professionals at The Villas of Manalapan, N.J., are alerting seniors and all consumers to the health hazards of eating too much sugar.

Experts at the luxurious, wellness-centric, senior apartment-community close to Staten Island, N.Y., point out that excessive sugar can lead to – and accelerate – numerous health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, heart disease, and cancer. According to research, the average American eats over 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day, which is nearly triple the recommended upper limit. 

Many nutrition experts suggest that the sugar you do consume should come from whole foods, not added sugar. For example, opt for blueberries or banana instead of added cane sugar or syrups. Most sugar consumption comes in the forms of drinks, such as soda, juices and energy drinks. Villas health professionals warn that “drinking” your sugar leads to higher consumption and a more challenging load for your body to process.

To help you gain control over sugar consumption in your life, The Villas of Manalapan offers the following tips:

• Replace sugary drinks with water, tea, citrus infused water, seltzer or sparkling water.
• Skip traditional desserts, which are concentrated in added sugar and have minimal to zero nutritional benefit, and replace with berries or other fruit, unsweetened yogurt with cinnamon and nuts, dark chocolate, or dates.
• Rethink your sauces. Ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, chili sauce, and similar sauces contain surprising sugar amounts, so always check the label. Substitute with fresh herbs, citrus, dried herbs and spices, mustard, vinegar, pesto, olive oil, or salsa. 
• Choose full-fat varieties. Low-fat products like yogurts, peanut butter and salad dressings generally replace the fat with sugar and other calories. This sugar – and the resulting blood sugar drop – lead to cravings, less satiety and ultimately weight gain, which may be the very reason you chose the low-fat variety. Full-fat choices will lead to greater satiety and, potentially, a better way to manage your weight and improve your overall health. 
• Select whole foods and homemade dishes instead of processed food and restaurant take-out. Processed food generally contains more salt, sugar, unhealthy fat, artificial flavors, colors, emulsifiers, and other additives that aren’t in homemade cooking. Similarly, restaurant food usually contains more taste-boosting additives (extra sugar, oil, processed flour, etc.) than you would use when cooking at home. 
• Read labels. Seemingly, healthy foods will surprise you with their added sugar content. Look for the sugar and added sugar amount. In the ingredients, sugar can appear as cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn sugar, cane juice, maltose, dextrose, invert sugar, rice syrup, or caramel.
• It’s best to wean your tastebuds to get adjusted to less sweetness – but if you are looking for a non-sugar sweetener, choose natural alternatives like stevia or monk fruit.
• Get enough sleep. Studies show when you’re sleep deprived, you crave and eat more sugar than when you are well-rested.

About the Villas of Manalapan

The Villas of Manalapan is an upscale, world class resort-inspired apartment community offering a range of amenities and services sensitive to the lifestyle, health and daily needs of seniors. Orchestrated by Hackensack Meridian Health, the complex is uniquely focused on wellness and prevention – and ideal for singles and couples alike. The luxurious 100,000-square-foot community offers a unique arrangement of supervision and increased healthcare with onsite physician services. Embracing independent-living, assisted-living, skilled-nursing and memory-care needs on specialized floors, the Villas eliminates the need to relocate elsewhere due to health issues, allowing couples to remain together in a comforting, well-managed, posh environment. The Villas is located at 289 Gordons Corner Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726. For information, or to schedule a tour, the Villas may be reached at 732-847-3920, contacted via www.villashmh.com/contact, and visited online at www.villashmh.com.

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Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately.

The views expressed in this article have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the author, or authors, are affiliated.

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