Not so sweet anymore

DIET & NUTRITION

Although sugar and spice and everything nice might be true for little girls, it is not true for sugar in your diet. Sugar is naturally occurring in foods such as fruit and milk, and while these foods are part of a balanced diet, added sugars found in many foods are a concern to many health experts.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, added sugars include any sugar added during processing or packaging, as well as any sugar used during cooking or added after cooking. It can be in the form of sugar, honey, syrup, nectar or concentrated fruit juice. Added sugars can be found in the obvious foods such as sweetened beverages, candies and desserts, but can also be hidden in foods such as whole grain granola bars, cereals, oatmeal, yogurt, dried and canned fruit, tomato and barbecue sauce, and salad dressings. Added sugars provide no nutritional value to foods, only extra calories.

Sugar has always gotten a bad reputation since it is associated with weight gain. Studies have linked diets high in sugar to obesity and poor health. This is partly due to the excessive amount of calories found in sweetened foods and the little to no nutritive value of these calories. If you are consuming a large amount of calories from sugar, that leaves very little room for calories from other things such as protein and fiber. Furthermore, people with excess weight are more likely to develop co-morbidities such as high blood pressure and diabetes. More recently, sugar has been linked to cardiovascular disease. According to a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association: Internal Medicine, people who consumed more than 10 percent of their calories from added sugars had an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association recommends that most women consume no more than 100 calories from sugar and 150 calories for most men.

With the evidence mounting against sugar, guidelines for added sugar intake have been defined. According to the 2016 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sugar. Let’s put this in perspective: Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, 10 percent of calories would be 200 calories/day, which is about 12 teaspoons, or 50 grams, of sugar. If your diet is lower in calories, your sugar content needs to be lower as well. Based on the above study, most Americans consume about 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily.

You should see changes taking place over the next couple of years, and by 2018 most labels will have to abide by new guidelines. Until then, if you are looking for ways to reduce added sugars in your diet, start by cutting out all sweetened beverages. Switch to unsweetened yogurt and add fruit, and look for unsweetened cereals and granola. Gradually decrease sugar intake, and your taste buds will adjust. Save the sweets for special occasions.

Alicia Smith, RD, CDE, is affiliated with Willis-Knighton Health System.

She may be reached at [email protected].