Sugar is now the popular diet “enemy.” However, it’s not sugar, per se, but what you get along with the sugar.
Added vs. Natural Sugar
For thousands of years, humans have relied upon sugars and starches that convert to sugars to survive.
Glucose is a sugar preferred by the body for energy. The brain and red blood cells are incapable of producing glucose; thus, they rely on a steady stream of sugar from the blood to function.
Naturally occurring sugars (and starches that turn to sugar in the body) are found primarily in fruit, dairy, and grain products.
Added sugars are those that are added during the manufacturing and processing of food. They add flavor, aid in preservation, viscosity, texture, browning capability, and color.
Top sources of added sugars in the U.S. diet:
- Beverages sweetened with added sugar
- Desserts and sweet snacks
- Breakfast cereals and bars
- Sweetened coffee and teas
These sugary foods contain few, if any, other nutrients and are high in calories. So the big question is, what are you getting from your food besides sugar?
Here are examples of beverages of the same size. Notice the calories and other nutrients they contain.1
Although calories are important to be aware of, the amount of nutrients in a product matter.
In the example above, a glass of 100% OJ may have as many calories as a soda, but it also provides vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, such as the antioxidant beta-carotene, making it a better choice.
Just getting coffee or tea without all that added sugar and limiting sweet snacks you might naturally eat 100 to 250 fewer calories a day while increasing vitamins and minerals in your diet!
Calories and Diet Quality
Foods with added sugars are contributing to poor health. In the U.S., about 75% of adults and 40% of children and adolescents are now overweight or obese.2
The majority of 5 to 18 year-olds are eating around 230 to 350 calories per day from foods with added sugars, while the average adult eats almost 270 calories per day.2
Thus, to prevent eating too many calories, displacing healthier foods, and eating enough nutrient-rich foods, it is recommended to:
Limit foods with ADDED sugars to less than 10% of your total calories!
This means, if you eat 2000 calories, only 200 calories or less should come from foods with added sugar per day.
Babies under two years of age have no room for foods with added sugars. Their little tummies need food with lots of nutrients, not added sugars.2
Sugars found naturally in fruit and dairy are not included in this recommendation because these products contain numerous nutrients and phytonutrients with known health benefits.2
Thus, the new nutrition labels require “added sugars” to be listed to distinguish between natural and added sugar content.
Sugar, Alone, is Not the Culprit
Sugars, aka carbs, are preferred by the body for fuel and are not inherently bad. The problem is:
Foods already void of many nutrients are displacing healthy foods in the diet AND are often high in extra calories AND are eaten in excessive amounts.
So it is not sugar (or fat, or any other single nutrient) that is to blame entirely.
The health of the diet is a collection of all foods eaten, not one nutrient. It is the total amount and quality of all foods, not just sugar, that affects health.
Consider how much added sugar is in your food and what OTHER nutrients you are getting.
Get the healthy stuff in first and leave less room in the diet for empty-calorie foods with added sugar.
Eat well to be well.
References
- Calories and sugar content from the U.S. Department of Agriculture; taken from Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
