Hide and seek with Sugar

Hidden Sugar in our foods means extra pounds each year!! Cutting back on the sweets is only part of the battle; sugar is hiding in much of what we eat and drink every day.

How much sugar do you really consume, ready for a little experiment? Grab a bag of sugar, a measuring spoon, a plate and a can of regular soda. ? Now locate the sugar listing on the soda's nutrition label (approximately 40 grams). Then, dump one teaspoon of sugar onto the plate. Repeat this nine more times. Do you know what you have, besides a mess? The same amount of sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda! Would you ever want  to eat that? Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Do the math. That innocent can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and 160 empty calories.

Even if you don’t drink regular soda, the typical American now eats the equivalent of about 31 teaspoons (124 grams) of added sugar every day. That sugar alone adds up almost 500 extra calories—about 25% of the average person's caloric intake. WOW!

Less is More
So how much should you limit your sugar intake? Several health organizations, including the American Heart Association, suggest that added sugar should be limited to no more than 6-7 percent of your total calories. This does not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose). The chart below lists the maximum recommended daily sugar intake based on various calorie levels. So what does that really mean… heck out the chart below

Daily Calorie Intake	Grams of Sugar	Teaspoons
1,200	21	5
1,500	26	6
1,800	31	7
2,100	36	9
2,400	42	10
2,700	47	12

 

Reading Labels
It can be confusing to try to find out how much added sugar a food contains. The sugar listing on a Nutrition Facts label lumps all sugars together, including naturally-occurring milk and fruit sugars, which can be deceiving. This explains why, according to the label,  one cup of milk has 11 grams of sugar even though it doesn't contain any sugar “added” to it.

To determine how much sugar has been added to a food product, follow these two tips:

• Read the ingredients list. Learn to identify terms that mean added sugars, including the usual suspects sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, honey, invert sugar, maple syrup, raw sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, corn sweeteners, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, malt, molasses, and turbinado sugar, to name a few
• But then it can get a little tricky!!! Look out for words that end in "ose"
• Even More tricky are the "ols" which are sugar alcohols.

So you have sworn off the soda, Beware of Spaghetti Sauce, Salad Dressing, Bread, “Reduced Fat” version of anything, Ketchup, and of course fast food!!

How much sugar have you had today??

Shaun Mullan, CMT