Susan Sorensen
Sugar can sour your health
Published on Wed, Feb 17, 2010 by Susan SorensenRead More Sorensen
Sugar is a five-letter word that has been getting quite a bit of bad publicity lately. In the January/February 2010 issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter, I was amazed to learn that Americans now consume 22-30 teaspoons of sugar a day, which translates to 350-475 nutritionally empty calories.
The result of these extra calories contributes to obesity, which in turn increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. A recent target from the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee is to limit your daily sugar intake to 100 calories (61/2 teaspoons) for women and 150 calories (91/2 teaspoons) for men.
So now that I have your attention, let's talk about three actions you can take to decrease your sugar intake and preserve your health.
Don't drink your calories
First, be cautious of consuming soft drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks and sweetened teas.
For example, an Arizona Southern Style Sweet Tea (23 ounces) contains the equivalent of 161/2 teaspoons of added sugar while one Coca-Cola (12 ounces) contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of added sugar.
According to the new guidelines, one can of soda contains the suggested daily sugar limit for one man. To do your own calculations, one teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams, so look at the nutrition label on your favorite beverage and learn how much hidden sugar you are drinking.
Remember that drinking your calories will not diminish your appetite or make you feel full, so select beverages that contain limited sugar.
Spot the hidden sugar
Second, closely scrutinize the nutrition labels and look for various forms of sugar.
Ingredients are listed in the decreasing order of what the product contains. If the nutrition label lists high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar and evaporated cane juice as the first three ingredients, you are consuming a triple dose of sugar.
Marketing uses any word it can to replace "sugar," so read the ingredient list carefully before you buy. Be careful if a food is labeled as sugar-free because it may contain sugar alcohol. Ingredients like maltitol or sorbitol (ending in -itol), are sugar alcohols that provide sweetness but are not broken down by the small intestine and can have a laxative effect.
What should you eat?
Incorporate nutrient-rich foods into your daily diet in place of sugar-laden items. If a food does not have a nutrition label on it, such as salad, fruits and vegetables, it qualifies as a "Mother Nature food" and it will enhance your health.
When deciding what to eat, ask yourself if the food existed 100 years ago.
Strive to choose healthy foods every day that are packed with fiber, minerals and vitamins for your health and to nourish your body instead of burdening yourself with sugar-laden foods.
Susan Sorensen is a registered nurse who does diabetes education in the community. She can be reached at www.starlady
diabetes.com.
The result of these extra calories contributes to obesity, which in turn increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. A recent target from the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee is to limit your daily sugar intake to 100 calories (61/2 teaspoons) for women and 150 calories (91/2 teaspoons) for men.
So now that I have your attention, let's talk about three actions you can take to decrease your sugar intake and preserve your health.
Don't drink your calories
First, be cautious of consuming soft drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks and sweetened teas.
For example, an Arizona Southern Style Sweet Tea (23 ounces) contains the equivalent of 161/2 teaspoons of added sugar while one Coca-Cola (12 ounces) contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of added sugar.
According to the new guidelines, one can of soda contains the suggested daily sugar limit for one man. To do your own calculations, one teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams, so look at the nutrition label on your favorite beverage and learn how much hidden sugar you are drinking.
Remember that drinking your calories will not diminish your appetite or make you feel full, so select beverages that contain limited sugar.
Spot the hidden sugar
Second, closely scrutinize the nutrition labels and look for various forms of sugar.
Ingredients are listed in the decreasing order of what the product contains. If the nutrition label lists high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar and evaporated cane juice as the first three ingredients, you are consuming a triple dose of sugar.
Marketing uses any word it can to replace "sugar," so read the ingredient list carefully before you buy. Be careful if a food is labeled as sugar-free because it may contain sugar alcohol. Ingredients like maltitol or sorbitol (ending in -itol), are sugar alcohols that provide sweetness but are not broken down by the small intestine and can have a laxative effect.
What should you eat?
Incorporate nutrient-rich foods into your daily diet in place of sugar-laden items. If a food does not have a nutrition label on it, such as salad, fruits and vegetables, it qualifies as a "Mother Nature food" and it will enhance your health.
When deciding what to eat, ask yourself if the food existed 100 years ago.
Strive to choose healthy foods every day that are packed with fiber, minerals and vitamins for your health and to nourish your body instead of burdening yourself with sugar-laden foods.
Susan Sorensen is a registered nurse who does diabetes education in the community. She can be reached at www.starlady
diabetes.com.
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