The (sweet and) lowdown on sugar

I just recently read a great article on sugar in the January/February 2010 issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter and I’d like to share with you some of the takeaways of that story since I think this is an important topic for everyone but confusing for most. The American Heart Association recently released a report with new recommendations for the intake of added sugars. For women, the recommendation is no more than 100 calories from added sugars, or 6-1/2 teaspoons, per day; this is less than what you’d find in a 6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt and an 8 fl. oz. reduced-fat chocolate milk, combined. For men, the recommendation is no more than 150 calories per day from added sugar, or 9-1/2 teaspoons; which is less than you’d find in one 12 fl. oz. can of Coke. By comparison, most Americans are consuming far more than the recommended intake, at somewhere in the range of 350-475 calories (about 22-30 teaspoons) per day; in addition, most aren’t aware that added sugars are hiding in far more than just the obvious places. Natural sugars are present in places like fruits & vegetables (naturally occurring fructose) and dairy products (lactose), for example; we don’t need to be worried about these sugars. Added sugars are present in not only cakes & cookies, but also in places like condiments (e.g., ketchup & salad dressing) and bread products; these are the sugars we need to limit. So, what to do?

1) Know that sugar answers to many aliases. Start paying attention to the various names for sugar used on food labels: high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, agave, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey, maple sugar, molasses, raw sugar, table sugar, confectioner’s sugar, baker’s sugar, powdered sugar.

2) Discriminate equally. Know that ALL sugars need to be equally limited. We’ve all heard the big fuss over high-fructose corn syrup or have read articles warning about one type of sugar over another. The fact is that all added sugars can play a role in potentially increasing your risk for disease (e.g., too much sugar can lead to obesity, which increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes). All added sugars must be viewed as discretionary calories. That is, they are the calories you can have as a bonus after you’ve had your fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Remember that even if you eat all those good-for-you items, if you have too much sugar in addition to all that good stuff, it can still make you fat.

3) Start by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to the Nutrition Action article, “soft drinks are the number-one source of added sugars in Americans’ diets,” so what better way to start than by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages? Remember that it’s not only soft drinks that are packed with added sugars, but also sports & energy drinks and sugar-sweetened teas. Replace these beverages with plain or sparkling water or the 2-3 cups of skim or 1% milk that you need to meet your calcium requirements.

To read more:

Today’s Dietitian: February 2010, “Sweet Defeat” by Lindsey Getz

Wall Street Journal Online: August 25, 2009, “Sweet Surrender: Sugar Curbs Urged” by Ron Winslow and Shirley S. Wang

I just recently read a great article on sugar in the January/February 2010 issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter and I’d like to share with you some of the takeaways of that story since I think this is an important topic for everyone but confusing for most. The American Heart Association recently released a report with new recommendations for the intake of added sugars. For women, the recommendation is no more than 100 calories from added sugars, or 6-1/2 teaspoons, per day; this is less than what you’d find in a 6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt and an 8 fl. oz. reduced-fat chocolate milk, combined. For men, the recommendation is no more than 150 calories per day from added sugar, or 9-1/2 teaspoons; which is less than you’d find in one 12 fl. oz. can of Coke. By comparison, most Americans are consuming far more than the recommended intake, at somewhere in the range of 350-475 calories (about 22-30 teaspoons) per day; in addition, most aren’t aware that added sugars are hiding in far more than just the obvious places. Natural sugars are present in places like fruits & vegetables (naturally occurring fructose) and dairy products (lactose), for example; we don’t need to be worried about these sugars. Added sugars are present in not only cakes & cookies, but also in places like condiments (e.g., ketchup & salad dressing) and bread products; these are the sugars we need to limit. So, what to do?

1) Know that sugar answers to many aliases. Start paying attention to the various names for sugar used on food labels: high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, agave, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey, maple sugar, molasses, raw sugar, table sugar, confectioner’s sugar, baker’s sugar, powdered sugar.

2) Discriminate equally. Know that ALL sugars need to be equally limited. We’ve all heard the big fuss over high-fructose corn syrup or have read articles warning about one type of sugar over another. The fact is that all added sugars can play a role in potentially increasing your risk for disease (e.g., too much sugar can lead to obesity, which increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes). All added sugars must be viewed as discretionary calories. That is, they are the calories you can have as a bonus after you’ve had your fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Remember that even if you eat all those good-for-you items, if you have too much sugar in addition to all that good stuff, it can still make you fat.

3) Start by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages. According to the Nutrition Action article, “soft drinks are the number-one source of added sugars in Americans’ diets,” so what better way to start than by cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages? Remember that it’s not only soft drinks that are packed with added sugars, but also sports & energy drinks and sugar-sweetened teas. Replace these beverages with plain or sparkling water or the 2-3 cups of skim or 1% milk that you need to meet your calcium requirements.

To read more:

Today’s Dietitian: February 2010, “Sweet Defeat” by Lindsey Getz

Wall Street Journal Online: August 25, 2009, “Sweet Surrender: Sugar Curbs Urged” by Ron Winslow and Shirley S. Wang