30 Spoonfuls of Sugar

WOW! I knew that we, as Americans, consume too much added sugar but the amount is pretty amazing. Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD, of the University of Vermont, incoming chair of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee, told a recent conference that Americans average 475 daily calories from added sugars. That is about 30 teaspoons a day (In comparison, the average was 22.5 teaspoons a day in 2009). If you look at the equivalent in pounds that is 49.5 pounds of added body weight if you are not burning off those calories from added sugar in just one year!!!!

This isn’t about the naturally occurring sugars in foods like fruit and milk either. These are sugars that are added to the food you eat everyday. Nutritionally, you don’t get anything out of them except extra calories! There are very few people that need these extra calories especially without any added nutritional benefit. As I think about it I can't help but sing "A spoonful of sugar" from Mary Poppins. My first thought is, maybe the song should be "a spoonful of sugar MAKES the medicine go down." If all of these added sugars are adding to our health risks...does that mean that we need to take more meds because of the added sugars?

The recommended max of added sugars (ideally we would have none) is only 6 teaspoons a day for women and 8 for men. So where is it all coming from? The main source of added sugar in the diet is usually from beverages...sodas, sweet tea, etc. But if you look carefully at the ingredient list, you will find added sugars in everything from bread to baked beans. To cut back on these added sugars...start being a detective and if you see any of these ingredients near the top of the list on the food label, think twice! Decide whether the added sugars are really worth it!

* Agave Nectar
* Barley Malt Syrup
* Corn sweetener
* Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
* Dehydrated Cane Juice
* Dextrin
* Dextrose
* Fructose
* Fruit juice concentrate
* Glucose
* High-fructose corn syrup
* Honey
* Invert sugar
* Lactose
* Maltodextrin
* Malt syrup
* Maltose
* Maple syrup
* Molasses
* Raw sugar
* Rice Syrup
* Saccharose
* Sorghum or sorghum syrup
* Sucrose
* Syrup
* Treacle
* Turbinado Sugar
* Xylose