By the year 2000, the average American consumed 31 tsp. of added sugar a day. This refers to ALL forms of sugar added in the processing or preparation of foods but not to the sugar that is found naturally in foods such as fruit or milk. Added sugar alone accounted for 496 calories! (Iowa State University, CARD, 2005) Are you average? I suspect you are NOT average or you wouldn’t be reading this article. However, you may be consuming far more sugar than you realize even if you avoid adding sugar to the foods you eat.

Fortunately the year 2000 seems to have been a turning point for Americans and added sugar consumption. Even so, total sugar consumption remains very high. This may be because much of the sugar consumed is not obvious. It is “hidden” sugar. Sugar you are simply not aware you may be eating.

Sugar is just a form of simple carbohydrate. As such it is neither good nor bad. Sugars associated with so-called “empty” calories or more specifically empty carbohydrates offer little food value other than calories (for example, candy and soda pop). Healthy carbohydrates on the other hand, are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and possibly antioxidants and other healthy substances we have yet to discover. Does that mean you should forgo eating Halloween candy or sugary desserts? No, but it is a good reason why you are far better off limiting this sugar to small amounts for special occasions.

The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting added sugar to no more than 8 tsp. per day for the average reference woman eating 2000 calories. That would mean only 6 tsp. a day for 1500 calories or about 5 tsp. for a 1200 calorie diet. Wow! That’s next to impossible. Added sugar is in so many of the foods we eat whether we know it or not.

Image via WikipediaTo put this in perspective, a tsp. of sugar is equivalent to approximately 4 grams. Go grab a box of breakfast cereal from your kitchen and look at the Nutrition Facts panel. Unless you grabbed a box of Fiber One by General Mills, I’ll bet your box of cereal has 5 grams of sugar or more per serving and that’s on the low side. Sugar is added for a good reason, it makes the cereal taste better and we’re more likely to eat it. But if you are watching your calorie intake and doing your best to eat healthy on a low calorie diet, there isn’t much room for the added sweetness.

4 grams of Sugar = Approximately 1 tsp. of Sugar

So what do you need to look out for? The source of most added sugar in the diet of Americans is from soda pop and other soft drinks, candy, dairy desserts such as ice cream, cakes, cookies, pies, and sweetened cereals. I would imagine you are already aware of these.

There are many sources of added sugar, however, that may not be as well known as the ones I just listed. This is the hidden sugar. Energy bars often have a lot of sugar. Nature’s Path Optimum Energy Bar has 19 grams of sugar! Ketchup tastes as good as it does because of the added sugar. A tablespoon of ketchup might have 4 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 1 tsp. Van Camp’s Pork and Beans has 7 grams of sugar in only 1/2 cup. That’s almost 2 tsp of sugar! Many salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, and yogurts, especially fruit-flavored yogurt have a significant amount of added sugar.

If a food product is labeled as sugar-free or no added sugar, it means that no sugar was added during processing. However, foods may contain naturally occurring sugar or a product might be sweetened with a fruit juice concentrate (natural sugar). This is why you want to check the Nutrition Facts and Ingredient Labels when you buy packaged or canned food products. The Nutrition Facts label provides the total amount of sugar but it is not separated into the different kinds of sugar present. For that you will need to take a look at the ingredient label.

Sugar comes in many different forms. Here are some of the most common terms:

Brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup, sugar substitutes, and table sugar.

Ultimately, your best bet to avoid eating too much sugar and the unnecessary calories that sugar can provide is to eat whole foods, with little or no processing and added sugar, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (beans). To get a better sense of how much added sugar you are consuming you might want to take a day or two and read the labels for every canned or packaged food you eat. Hopefully, you won’t be unpleasantly surprised!

Weight Loss Success: Are You Buying the Best Products? Part One

Weight Loss Success: Are you Buying the Best Products? Part Two

Till next time, watch those calories and be sure to eat healthy!

In my last post, I covered the importance of not being misled by photos of delicious looking food on packaging and being prepared to question misleading claims. I also touched on the need to understand that low fat isn’t necessarily low calorie. Today I have three more tips and a list of government-regulated labeling terms to keep in mind when buying low calorie and reduced fat products.

(click here for Part One: Tips 1-3)

4. Be very careful of product endorsements by physicians or celebrities!

These individuals may promote a product for certain benefits but often they are not telling you the ways in which the same product might be detrimental to your health or weight loss efforts. For example, an otherwise healthy food might contain a lot of sodium.

5. Take a second look at high fiber claims.

Dietary fiber has been linked with a number of health benefits. It can help with weight loss efforts (see Dietary Fiber and Weight Loss) and lower blood cholesterol levels. However, be aware that added fiber, often called functional fiber, may not offer the same benefits as dietary fiber (the fiber as consumed in the original food).

6. Many multi-grain food products are NOT whole grain.

The benefits of whole grain are many and the list is growing. I’ll be sharing an in-depth article about these benefits in the coming months. Till then, look for whole grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, popcorn, and whole-wheat crackers.

If you would like to learn more about misleading labeling and how to go about picking the healthiest food products, I recommend that you visit a site called eBrandAid.com. At this site you can sign up for a no cost newsletter that will keep you informed about misleading products.

In my first newsletter from eBrandAid (I just signed up recently), the topic was Light Juices. Are you really getting what you want if you purchase light juice? Here’s a quote from the newsletter:

“The Bottom Line: Just about any brand of “reduced sugar” juice is designed to trick consumers into thinking they are getting a healthier option. In reality, you’re drinking up less juice and getting less nutrition. Don’t you feel cheated?”

Something else to keep handy is a list of terms that are important for your weight loss or maintenance efforts. These terms are regulated by the government of the United States.

Low Calorie: 40 calories or fewer per serving

No Calorie or Calorie-Free contains less than 5 calories per serving

Low Fat: 3 grams of fat or fewer per serving

No Fat or Fat Free: contains less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving

Reduced Fat: contains 25% less fat or more than the regular food item

High Fiber: 5 grams of fiber or more per serving

Lite: contains 1/2 the fat per serving or 1/3 the calories of the original product (or similar product)

Sugar Free: contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving

Baked Not Fried: This refers to a product that has been sprayed with a light coating of oil and then baked in an oven instead of being fried. Often used with potato chips, crackers, or other chips.

If you are like most others including me, you don’t have time to examine every product you buy. Here’s what you do. Start creating a list of trustworthy products that you know are good. Then when you are about to reach for a new product that “looks good” or “sounds good”, take a moment and check the facts by reading the ingredient and nutrition labels. Is the new product what it claims to be? If so, you may have found something to add to your list of trusted products. Congratulations on being in charge!