It's impossible to remove sugar from your diet entirely. Sugar occurs naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk. However, the bad sugar to avoid is added sugar --- sugar that's put into foods and beverages, as well as the sugar that spoon onto your cereal at the table. These bad sugars have a connection to weight gain --- increased body fat that just might show up around your belly and other parts of your body.
Sugar Dangers
Added sugar can be more harmful to your health than any food additive, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Most of the added sugar you get comes from soft drinks, such as sodas, energy drinks, sweetened punches and other beverages, followed closely by the sugar you add to your food at the table. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that gives you 4 calories per 1 g; but other than calories, it gives you no nutritional benefit. Mindlessly consuming sweet treats and drinks with added sugar can rack up excess calories your body doesn't need. These are stored in the form of body fat. A 12 oz. can of regular cola has around 136 calories, almost all of which come from sugar. A 1.76 oz. coconut, almond and chocolate candy bar has 235 calories. A cup of chocolate ice cream has around 285 calories.
Other Names for Sugar
"Bad sugar" --- added sugar you don't need in your diet --- doesn't just include table sugar. It may surprise you to know that powdered sugar, brown sugar, honey and molasses are just as nutritionally bereft and calorie-laden as granulated sugar. But sugar is listed under the ingredients list of the food you buy under other less obvious names. These include cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, fruit juice concentrates, high fructose corn syrup and any ingredient that ends in "-ose," such as fructose and dextrose.
Sugar Concerns
Added sugar not only contributes to excess body fat; it encourages tooth decay, increased triglyceride levels and inadequate nutrition. MayoClinic.com reports that added sugar is often added to processed foods that are also high in solid fats. These foods, called "SoFAS," comprise 35 percent of calories that most Americans get from their daily diet. Most Americans get 355 added sugar calories a day; the American Heart Association sets stricter guidelines and advises women to get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar and men to get no more than 150 calories.
Losing Weight and Belly Fat
Added sugar is only one contributor to belly fat and overall weight gain. As noted by MayoClinic.com, calories are calories, no matter what food they come from. Eating too many calories per day paired with a sedentary lifestyle leads to weight gain and obesity. Belly fat responds to a reduced-calorie diet comprised of healthy foods and snacks. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods and low-fat milk products. Cut way back on added sugar, solid fats and refined grains. If you're trying to lose the fat that troubles your waistline, exercise is the best solution. The American Council on Exercise recommends an hour of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise every day, along with strength training sessions two to three times a week.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Cola; Almond Joy Candy Bar; Chocolate Ice Cream
- Center for Science in the Public Interest; Food Additives
- Center for Science in the Public Interest; America: Drowning in Sugar; August 1999
- American Heart Association: Sugars and Carbohydrates
- MayoClinic.com; Added Sugar: Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners; April 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Counting Calories: Getting Back to Weight-loss Basics; December 2009
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