The Food Guide Pyramid is the guidance system developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help consumers make food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Based on these recommendations, each person has a small allowance for discretionary calories, those few "extra" calories that can be "spent" on more from the food groups, an alcoholic beverage, solid fats or a sugary treat. Sugar can be broken in to two groups: those sugars occurring naturally in foods like milk and fruit, and those added while processing foods and beverages. It is the added sugar you should learn to spot.
Recommended Intake
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming no more than 5 to 15 percent of your calories from solid fat and added sugar. These two are lumped together as they provide little more than extra calories. Consuming too much of these discretionary calories will make it difficult to stay in your recommended calorie allotment while getting the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy. The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugar intake to about half of your discretionary calories, about 100 to 150 calories for most adults. This amounts to no more than 6 to 9 tsp. daily.
Impact of Excess Sugar
Consumption of excess sugar has been linked to higher energy intake, greater body weight, poor nutrition, obesity and hypertension, as well as increased levels of triglycerides, inflammation, oxidative stress and Type 2 diabetes. According to a report released in 2003 by a joint commission of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, high-sugar drinks increase overall caloric intake by reducing the ability to control appetite, and therefore lead to progressive increases in body weight.
Foods
According to a statement released by the American Heart Association in 2009, regular soft drinks provide about 33 percent of the added sugar consumed by Americans. A 12-oz. soda has around 8 tsp., providing all the extra sugar most individuals should consume in a day. Other contributors include candy, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, sugar-sweetened dairy products like yogurt and flavored milk and sweetened grain products like cereal and waffles.
Check the Label
Added sugar does not have to be listed separately from naturally occurring sugar, so it can be difficult to keep track. One of the best ways to find added sugar is to check for sources listed on the ingredients label. If it is close to the top of the list, it means sugar is one of the main ingredients. Look for corn syrup and sweeteners; agave nectar; brown, white, raw, inverted or cane sugar; sucrose; dextrose; fructose; glucose; honey; molasses; syrups and fruit juice concentrate.
References
- MyPyramid.gov: What are Discretionary Calories?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Added Sugar: Don't get sabotaged by Sweeteners
- Harvard School of Public Health: How to Spot Added Sugar on Food Labels
- "Circulation"; Dietary Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association; Rachel K. Johnson et al.; September 2009
- "Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases"; Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation; 2003
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