Sugars are carbohydrates that provide the body with energy, our body’s fuel. Sugars occur naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy foods and are added to foods for flavor, texture and color. You should aim to consume no more than your recommended intake and limit foods that are high in added sugars and low in other nutrients. There are two types of sugars in American diets: naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. Naturally occurring sugars are found naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). Added sugars include any sugars or caloric sweeteners which are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation (such as putting sugar in your coffee or adding sugar to your oatmeal). Added sugars (or added sweeteners) can include natural sugars such as white sugar, brown sugar and honey, as well as other caloric sweeteners that are chemically manufactured (such as high fructose corn syrup). You can use sugars to help enhance your diet. Adding a limited amount of sugar to improve the taste of foods (especially for children) that provide important nutrients, such as whole-grain cereal, low-fat milk or yogurt, is better than eating nutrient-poor highly sweetened foods.
Therefore, where is the added sugar hiding in your diet? The major sources of added sugars in American diets are regular soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, milk products and other grains. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified some common foods with added sugars. The table below lists a few examples and the number of calories from added sugars they contain. Note the calories here are only from added sugars in the food, not the total amount of calories in the food.
Unfortunately, you cannot tell by looking at the nutritional facts on the back of the food package if it contains added sugars. The line for “sugars” includes both added and natural sugars. Naturally occurring sugars are found in milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose). Any product that contains milk (such as yogurt, milk or cream) or fruit (fresh, dried) contains some natural sugars. Instead of sugar in recipes, you can try things like cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla, ginger or lemon. Be creative and use google to find recipes. You can eat an endless variety of amazing foods even though you eliminate sugar from your diet. A natural zero-calorie alternative to sugar is Stevia. The best way to cut back on sugar is to simply avoid processed foods and satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits instead. Avoid a packaged food that contains sugar in the first 3 ingredients and if the packaged food contains more than one type of sugar.
Reading the ingredient list on a processed food label can tell you if the product contains added sugars, but not the exact amount if the product also contains natural sugars.
Names for added sugars on labels include:
•Brown sugar
•Corn sweetener
•Corn syrup
•Fruit juice concentrates
•High-fructose corn syrup
•Honey
•Invert sugar
•Malt sugar
•Molasses
•Raw sugar
•Sugar
•Sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)
•Syrup
Furthermore, some products include terms related to sugars. Here are some common terms and their meanings:
•Sugar-Free – less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving
•Reduced Sugar or Less Sugar – at least 25 percent less sugar per serving compared to a standard serving size of the traditional variety
•No Added Sugars or Without Added Sugars – no sugars or sugar-containing ingredients such as juice or dry fruit is added during processing
•Low Sugar – not defined or allowed as a claim on food labels
Although you cannot isolate the calories per serving from added sugars with the information on a nutrition label, it may be helpful to calculate the calories per serving from total sugars (added sugars and naturally occurring sugars). To do this, multiply the grams of sugar by 4 (there are 4 calories per 1 gram of sugar). For example, a product containing 15 g of sugar has 60 calories from sugar per serving. Keep in mind that if the product has no fruit or milk products in the ingredients, all of the sugars in the food are from added sugars. If the product contains fruit or milk products, the total sugar per serving listed on the label will include added and naturally occurring sugars.
Even though sugars are not harmful to the body, our bodies do not need sugars to function properly. Added sugars contribute additional calories and zero nutrients to food. Over the past 30 years, Americans have steadily consumed more and more added sugars in their diets, which has contributed to the obesity epidemic, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, tooth decay, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and more. Reducing the amount of added sugars we eat cuts calories and can help you improve your heart health and control your weight. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance. For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 calories per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men). You have a daily energy need — the amount of calories (or energy units) your body needs to function and provide energy for your activities. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than half of a person’s daily discretionary calorie allowance be spent on added sugars. Common sources of discretionary calories (in addition to added sugars) are fats, oils and alcohol. Fats are the most concentrated source of calories.
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration and the White House hope Americans increase their knowledge about how much added sugar they are taking in by updating the Nutrition Facts Labels to include total and added sugars. The World Health Organization recommendation applies to sugars including glucose, fructose mad sucrose (table sugar) that are added to food by cooks and manufacturers, and occur naturally in fruits, honey and syrups. Studies show that people who consume many foods and drinks with added sugars tend to consume more calories than people who don’t eat much of these foods, according to the National Institutes of Health. Cutting back could help you maintain a healthy weight, and reduce risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related health problems. In 2008 the average intake was 76.7 grams per day, which equals 19 teaspoons or 306 calories.
Some people can handle a little bit of sugar in their diet, while for others it causes cravings, binge eating, rapid weight gain and disease. We’re all unique and you need to figure out what works best for you. Just keep in mind that when it comes to a harmful substance like added sugar, the less the better.
Sources: The Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, and the American Heart Association.