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Many of the foods we eat have naturally occurring sugars in them. Sugars are made up of one or two carbohydrate molecules. There are several different types of sugars. For example, fruits are naturally sweetened by a sugar called fructose, and milk has a natural sweetener called lactose. However, many manufacturers add sugar to their foods, i.e. breakfast cereals, sodas, juice drinks, snack foods, and yogurts. Some common names for sugars added to foods are sucrose (regular table sugar), honey, molasses, glucose, fruit concentrate, and high fructose corn syrup.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005) recommends that individuals consume nutrient-dense foods. This means eating foods that provide high levels of vitamins and minerals and relatively low amounts of calories. Added sugars are not nutrient dense. They provide calories without any vitamins or minerals. This is why many nutrition experts refer to sugars as “empty calories”.
Does this mean that you should never eat sugar? Of course not. Sugars can be a delicious part of what you eat. But they shouldn’t be a significant part of your daily calories. For example, if the average adult eats 2,000 calories a day of mostly nutrient dense foods, there is room for approximately 8 teaspoons (32 grams) of added sugars. The USDA estimates that the average American consumes 31 teaspoons a day. One can of Coke has 26 grams of sugar alone. Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain and contributes to dental caries (cavities).
The Nutrition Facts Panel on the food label tells how much total sugar is in the product. However, it does not distinguish between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. In order to see if the foods you are eating have added sugars, it is important to read the ingredients information. Ingredients are listed in order of how much that ingredient contributes to the total weight of the food. If sugar or any of the other words indicating added sugars, are listed in the first few ingredients, then you know that the majority of the total sugars in the product are coming from added sugars.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005) recommends that individuals consume nutrient-dense foods. This means eating foods that provide high levels of vitamins and minerals and relatively low amounts of calories. Added sugars are not nutrient dense. They provide calories without any vitamins or minerals. This is why many nutrition experts refer to sugars as “empty calories”.
Does this mean that you should never eat sugar? Of course not. Sugars can be a delicious part of what you eat. But they shouldn’t be a significant part of your daily calories. For example, if the average adult eats 2,000 calories a day of mostly nutrient dense foods, there is room for approximately 8 teaspoons (32 grams) of added sugars. The USDA estimates that the average American consumes 31 teaspoons a day. One can of Coke has 26 grams of sugar alone. Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain and contributes to dental caries (cavities).
The Nutrition Facts Panel on the food label tells how much total sugar is in the product. However, it does not distinguish between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. In order to see if the foods you are eating have added sugars, it is important to read the ingredients information. Ingredients are listed in order of how much that ingredient contributes to the total weight of the food. If sugar or any of the other words indicating added sugars, are listed in the first few ingredients, then you know that the majority of the total sugars in the product are coming from added sugars.
