Despite its delightful taste, sugar has been getting a lot of bad press lately. More and more health experts are warning the public about sugar’s harmful effects. Is sugar harmful because it provides “empty” extra calories and contributes to weight gain? That’s part of the story but medical experts now believe calories from added sugars are more harmful than other extra calories.
Our bodies are not well designed to handle concentrated sugar “loads.” For example, we can’t use all the concentrated sugar in a can of soda fast enough, so the liver converts excess sugar into small dense particles of fat, which contribute to heart disease.
How much sugar is too much?
Depends on who you ask. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily calories – roughly 12 teaspoons a day for most adults. So how are we doing? Not so well. Most adults take in about 20 teaspoons of added sugars every day, and some consume much, much more.
If you’re on of those people, don’t feel bad. It’s really easy to drink and eat sugar. Just one 12-ounce can of soda has 39 grams of added sugar, which is equal to almost 10 teaspoons of sugar. That’s without added sugars from sweet snacks and desserts.
Sugar busting tips
If you’d like to cut down on the amount of added sugars in your drinks, snacks, and sweets, here are a few ideas:
- Drink more water. Add a splash of juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, fizzy, low-calorie drink.
- Think fun size. Reach for smaller portions of chocolate, sweets, and desserts. A single square or just a bite can satisfy cravings when we truly savor them.
- Replace with fruit. Eat your vegetables at meal time and save fruit for dessert.
Source: Iowa Department of Health
By: Jamie Rathbun
