I have a huge sweet tooth, and it looks like I'm not alone because a new report shows that Americans are consuming tons of the white stuff — an average of 22 teaspoons a day! That's about 355 calories from sugar, which is equivalent to two cans of soda and a chocolate bar. No wonder America has an issue with obesity.
The American Heart Association (AHA) is urging people to cut way back and recommends that women get no more than six teaspoons (100 calories) of sugar a day. No, they're not talking about the natural sugars found in fruit, veggies, or dairy products. The AHA wants you to cut back on added sugars found in soda, artificially flavored fruit drinks, cookies, candy, sugary cereals, and the like.
Sometimes it's tough to tell how much of a product is natural sugars and how much is added sugars, since nutrition labels list sugars in one lump amount. So look at the ingredients and try to limit foods containing sugar, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, molasses, or evaporated cane juice. Sugary foods don't offer you a sustained amount of energy and they also don't satisfy your hunger, so soon after eating a sweet treat, you'll find you're hungry again. That's why eating sugary foods contributes to weight gain, so if you're trying to lose weight, take a look at how much added sugar you're consuming.
Diane von Furstenberg
Killah
McQ by Alexander McQueen
I thought fructose was the sugar in fruit? Wouldn't that make fructose okay?
1Sugar is everywhere. As someone with a sugar cane allergy I can attest to its prevalence since I have to watch out for soup, sauces, bread, crackers, and a load of savory items as well.
2I've definetly cut back on the sugar. Too many sweets make my teeth hurt and I feel a wee bit ill and sluggish afterwards. I always try to cut back on the sugar, especially when baking for my diabetic friend.
For the longest time I forgot she was diabetic and kept baking crazy sugary goods and theni realized I was being an idiot. Diabetic friendly dessert recipes are what i look for when baking for her.
PS. That cake the woman is holding in the picture looks delicious. I would love the recipe for it
3As a registered dietitian and consultant to the food and beverage industry I would like to comment on this article. Let's remember Americans get added sugar from a lot of places. Soda, sports drinks, sweetened waters and energy drinks contribute just 5.5% of the calories in the average American diet. That means that nearly 95% of our calories come from other foods. We, as a society, need to stop choosing one culprit in the fight against obesity and re-focus the population on the big picture! Choosing foods in moderation is the key to maintain a healthy caloric intake, weight and lifestyle. Julie Feldman MPH, RD
4I just try to limit my consumption of processed foods...if you don't eat a lot of premade frozen dinners, bottled juices/soda, sweetened energy bars/cereals, etc., you can avoid a lot of the added sugars. I eat mostly veggies and fruits, some whole grains, eggs, lowfat dairy products, chicken, etc. I do have the occasional sweet treat, but I know it's got sugar in it, so I account for it.
I don't get it when people freak out about the sugar in say, fruit or skim milk. That's probably the least of your worries.
5agreed. lay off the sugar. but don't replacing it with grossy fake sugars... i took a look at aspartame, stevia etc. here: http://sweettater.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/sugar-you-love-you-some/
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