Many people consume more sugar than they should simply because it's added to so many snacks and drinks. Eating too much sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity. However, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, the sugar rich diet of many Americans can result in far more serious medical problems, including heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
About Sugar
Sugar occurs naturally in foods such as fruits, milk and vegetables; however, processed sugars and syrups--what MayoClinic.Com refers to as "added sugars"--are used in packaged, processed and premade foods to enhance texture and color, preserve condiments such as jams and jellies, and balance the acidity between various foods. Sugar is also used in alcoholic beverages and breads during the fermentation process. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that your body uses expressly for fuel; from a nutritional standpoint, added sugar is bereft of nutritional value.
Consumption in America
Sugar consumption in the United States has been on the rise since 1982, says the CSPI, citing results from a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey. The prime culprit is consumption of sugary soda pop, which accounts for 33 percent of Americans' added sugar intake. Twenty-five percent of added sugar come from foods that contain table sugar. Baked goods accounted for 14 percent of added sugar intake, and fruit drinks made up for another 10 percent. The remainder of added sugar in the American diet comes from breakfast cereals, tea, candy and dairy desserts. The CSPI indicates that most Americans eat 20 tsp. of added sugar each day, which is twice the amount they should consume, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Sugar in Foods
Based on the 10 tsp. recommendation, the CSPI states that a cup of fruit yogurt gives you 70 percent of your daily added sugar, compared with the same serving of ice cream, which gives you 60 percent. According to the CSPI, some regular soft drinks and fast-food shakes can give you more than 100 percent of the recommended amount of added sugar in a single serving.
Limiting Your Sugar
The calories you get from sweet foods, fats and alcoholic beverages are called "discretionary calories"--calories in addition to those that come from the foods you need for a healthy diet. According to the USDA, most people have far fewer discretionary calories than they may assume. If you're physically inactive, you may have only between 100 and 300 discretionary calories to spare. However, MayoClinic.com indicates that the American Heart Association's recommendations are more stringent than the USDA's 10-tsp. cap. Women should get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar, and men should get no more than 150. If measured in teaspoons, women are allowed no more than 6 and men no more than 9. According to MayoClinic.Com, the average soft drink contains 9 tsp. of added sugar and 130 calories.
Other Tips
To make sure that your sugar consumption falls within reasonable limits, the CSPI suggests reading the nutritional facts panel and ingredients lists on the foods you buy. See if your product contains other types of sugar, including high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, honey or molasses. Worry more about the added sugars you get from your sugar bowl and processed foods and not the natural sugars in fruit, vegetables and milk. Choose breakfast cereals that contain no more than 8 g of sugar per serving, and keep in mind that even noncarbonated fruit and sports drinks can be high in sugar. Opt for low-fat milk, water or seltzer water rather than soda pop, and substitute a piece of fruit for sugary snacks such as candy bars, cookies, cakes and granola bars. Finally, the CSPI cautions that "fat free" on the label doesn't mean "sugar free"--reduced fat foods can have just as much added sugar as their higher-calorie equivalents.
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