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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has suggested a preliminary recommendation of no more than 10% of total calories each day from added sugars. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends less than 10% of total calories from added sugars but further suggests that 5% would provide additional health benefits. Are these recommendations realistic? More importantly, how do you integrate this information into your daily food choices?
There is no question that most Americans eat too much sugar. According to government surveys the average person eats about 20 teaspoons of sugar a day which equals 300 calories. Men and teenage boys eat the most, topping 300 calories of sugar each day and women and girls eat less. If you live in a city you eat more sugar. If you live in the country you eat less. This could simply be the result of the never-ending options to eat as you navigate around the city each day.
To complicate the sugar issue even further, if you look at the nutrition label, it is impossible to tell if the sugar has been added or if it is natural to the food. A glass of milk has 12 grams of sugar, but all of it is from lactose, naturally occurring sugar in milk. You definitely should not stop drinking milk because it has sugar. A half cup of ice cream can have anywhere from 10 to over 20 grams of sugar. Some may be from lactose but the majority is from sugar added. Ice cream is a food that you should eat in smaller amounts.
Natural Sugar Versus Added Sugar
Grains, fruits, vegetables, milk and plain yogurt all contain natural sugars found in the food along with vitamins, minerals and fiber. In contrast, soda, candy, fruit drinks, cakes, cookies, ice cream, jelly and syrup are full of added sugar. They offer little besides sweetness and calories. To make the healthiest food choices, choose foods with natural sugars more often and foods with added sugars less often.
It is estimated that added sugars make up as much as 25% of our calories daily. Most of it comes from soda and sweetened fruit drinks. Sweetened drinks load you up with sugar calories but let you down when it comes to all other nutrients and feeling satisfied.
How much sugar – do the math.
When you look on a nutrition label, the amount of sugar in the food is listed as part of the total carbohydrate.
Total carbohydrate 30g (grams)
Dietary fiber 0g (grams)
Sugar 28g (grams)
This information gives you a quick overview of the food. It is high in sugar, has no fiber and is low in complex carbs. There are only 2 grams of carbs left over when you subtract the sugar. To translate the grams of sugar into something you can visually relate to, you need to know that 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams. Divide 4 into 28 and you quickly realize that a serving of this food contains 7 teaspoons of sugar.
To turn the grams of sugar into calories, you need to know that 1 gram of sugar has 4 calories. If the food has 28 grams of sugar, you are eating 112 sugar calories. Added sugars in food include: include table sugar, honey, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, cane syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, raw sugar, powdered sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fruit juice concentrate, brown rice syrup, date syrup, and agave syrup. Each of these sugars has 4 calories per gram.
Now, if you go back to the recommendation of eating no more that 10% of your daily calories as added sugar, you can do the math. If you are a woman who is eating 1,500 calories a day, 10% would be 150 sugar calories. Divide 4 into 150 and you should be eating no more than 38 grams of sugar a day.
If doing all this math is giving you a headache, here is a simpler approach. Want to cut back on sugar? First limit soda and sweetened drinks. Next, instead of give-it-up, think down-size-and-negotiate. Eat a smaller portion. Instead of a large candy bar, have a snack size. Try mini-cupcakes. Keep ice cream to a ½ or ¾ cup portion not a soup bowl full. Many desserts, like custard, rice pudding, or pumpkin pie, are good for you and can be part of a healthy meal, but size counts.
Bottom line: Sugar is not evil, but the amount you eat can be unhealthy.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with sales of more than 8.5 million books.
Look for:
The Diabetes Counter, 5th Ed., 2014
The Fat and Cholesterol Counter, 2014
The Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2013
The Calorie Counter, 6th Ed., 2013
The Complete Food Counter, 4th ed., 2012
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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