Sweet as Sugar : )

When you hear the word sugar, does it have a negative connotation?  For many, it does...  But it doesn't have to!  With all of the negativity surrounding sugar because of it's ability to cause health problems such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay, it has earned a pretty bad rep.  While these things are undoubtedly real issues related to sugar intake, that doesn't mean we have to cut it out of our diet completely.

With all of the differences of opinion about including sugar in your diet, I thought I'd share some info to help clear up the rumors...

The Good:

1.  Sugar is natural!  It's comes from sugar cane, which is actually a species of grass.  Natural is a plus.

2.  It is used by our body as fuel and provides energy.

3.  It is included in the food guide pyramid as allowable in your daily diet.

4.  Sugars are found naturally in many fruits and vegetables.

The Bad:

Added sugars- this is where we get into trouble.  The sugars found in many food products have been added for flavoring.  Added sugars are also often found in foods with high calorie and fat contents.  Thus, consuming sugar may not be the primary issue- it's consuming large amounts of sugar accompanied by unhealthy fats.  Cookies, cakes, soft drinks, crackers, and the majority of processed, packaged foods have added sugars added that provide little to no nutrients... in other words, empty calories.  The whole point of eating is to provide our bodies with the nutrients needed.  As mentioned previously sugars are needed to provide us with energy and fuel, but only in moderation and in addition to other healthy sources of energy such as lean protein.

The key to including sugar in your diet is to do so in moderation.

• Try to balance your intake of natural sugars by choosing veggies and fruits with moderate sugar content, or compensating those of high sugar content with another that has little to none.


• Consume added sugars sparingly.  We have an allotted amount of discretionary calories for our daily intake.  This means we have a certain amount of calories to consume as we please once our nutrient caloric needs have been fulfilled.  Check out this article  for a great explanation of discretionary calories http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/discretionary_calories.html

To become more aware of the added sugars you consume, I have included the following list containing some of the many ways sugar may be named in an ingredients list...

• Brown sugar


• Corn sweetener


• Corn syrup


• Sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)


• High-fructose corn syrup


• Fruit juice concentrates


• Honey


• Invert sugar


• Malt sugar


• Molasses


• Raw sugar


• Sugar


• Syrup

Food For Thought!

1 tsp of sugar = about 4 g and 16 cal

Lets say we drink a 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew...

The nutrition label lists the sugar content of this drink to be 31 g of sugar per 8 oz.

 A 20 oz bottle contains 2.5 servings.

2.5 x 31 = 77.5

Therefore you consume 77.5 g of sugar per 20 oz bottle.

Now convert this number to teaspoons using the conversion above...

77.5/4 =  19.375

A 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew contains nearly 20 tsps of sugar!!!  Wow!  That's definitely food for thought!

Breakfast Cereal

Cereal can be a quick and nutritious way to jumpstart the day.  I personally LOVE it and eat a bowl with sliced bananas, cinnamon, and almond milk almost every morning!

Below are some tips to help ensure healthy choices...

• Always note serving size.  Don't fool yourself... that special bowl, the one thats the size of a feeding trough, that  we set aside just for cereal does not equate to a serving.  A typical serving size of most cereals is 1/2 to 1 cup.


• Remember to include added milk when calculating nutrition value.


• Pay close attention to sugar content per serving.  Many cereals are high in sugar, even ones that are marketed as healthy option.


• Be extra selective when choosing granola or granola cereals.  The serving size of these is often only 1/4 cup and they tend to be loaded with sugar.

For Example:

Quaker Natural Granola Oats & Honey & Rasins Cereal (1 cup)

• 420 cal


• 12 g fat


• 7 g saturated fat


• 30 g sugar


• 6 g fiber


• 10 g protein

Special K Low Fat Granola Cereal (1 cup)

• 380 cal


• 6 g fat


• 18 g sugar


• 10 g fiber


• 12 g protein

Try these instead:

Post Shredded Wheat Original Cereal (1 cup)

• 170 cal


• 1 g fat


• 0 g sugar


• 6 g fiber


• 5 g protein

Fiber One Original Cereal (It looks like rabbit food, but looks can be deceiving : ) (1 cup)

• 120 cal


• 2 g fat


• 28 g fiber


• 0 g sugar (does have artificial sweetener added)


• 4 g protein

All In The Label

The Nutrition Facts label is your guide to making the most nutrient-rich food choices while staying within your daily calorie budget. You’ll find it on most packaged foods in the supermarket and frequently on Nutri-Facts posters and in Nutri-Facts brochures for fresh foods such as produce, fish and meat.

Here’s what the Nutrition Facts label shows you:

Serving Size

The serving size for this food is one package. All the nutrition numbers listed are based on this amount. Compare the serving size to the amount you eat and adjust the numbers as needed. For example, if you ate only half the package of this food, you’d divide the numbers shown by two (e.g., 130 calories).

Servings Per Container

Note carefully! This package contains one serving, but sometimes even small packages contain more than one serving.

Nutrition Numbers

The label lists the number of Calories and the number of Calories from Fat in one serving. Also listed are the grams of Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Total Carbohydrate, Dietary Fiber, Sugars, Protein and milligrams of Cholesterol and Sodium. Sometimes labels list extra information. For example, this label lists the grams of Monounsaturated Fat and Polyunsaturated Fat and milligrams of Potassium.

Percent Daily Values

These percentages show how much of each nutrient one serving provides in a 2,000-calorie diet. For this label, one serving of food provides 11% of the Total Fat and 15% of the Calcium recommended for the day.

Hit Your Targets...Not Too High

For nutrients we sometimes get too much of (Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium), your daily goal is to total 100% or less of the Daily Value. There is no Daily Value for Trans Fat, but experts recommend keeping intake as low as possible.

Hit Your Targets...Not Too Low

For nutrients such as Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, your daily goal is to reach 100% of the Daily Value. Look for foods that are good sources (10-19% of the Daily Value) or excellent sources (20% or more of the Daily Value) of nutrients like these. This label shows that one serving of the food is an excellent source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin A and a good source of Potassium, Calcium and Iron.

Produced by the Naturally Nutrient Rich Coalition 1 © 2006, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. May be duplicated for instructional purposes

Take Advantage of Resources

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  • FDA.gov - This is an excellent website full of info about nutrition facts for foods in all groups.  It also has info regarding dining out, reading food labels, and regulatory guidelines.
  
  
  • Mypyramid.gov- provides lots of info about healthy eating and activity, offers meal plans, and advice.
  
  
  • Prevention.com- this is site for Prevention Magazine and offers lots of helpful articles about living a healthy life.
  
  
  • Nutrientrichfoods.org- offers info, meal plans, food tracking resources, and other guides to healthy eating.
  
  
  
  

 

What Does It Really Mean?

• Fat Free Less than 0.5g of fat per serving


• XX% Fat Free Must also meet the low fat claim (below)


• Low Fat 3g or less per serving; or 3g per 100g for a meal or main dish, and 30% of total calories or less


• Reduced Fat 25% less fat than food it is being compared to


• Low Saturated Fat 1g or less and 15% or less of calories from saturated fat


• Trans Fat Free Less than 0.5g of trans fats per serving


• Light/Lite 50% less fat or one-third fewer calories than the regular product


• Lean Less than 10g of fat, 4.5g of saturated fat and 95mg of cholesterol per 100g of meat, poultry or seafood


• Extra Lean Less than 5g of fat, 2g of saturated fat and 95mg of cholesterol per serving and per 100g of meat, poultry or seafood


• Low Cholesterol 20mg or less per serving and 2g or less saturated fat per serving


• Cholesterol Free Less than 2mg per serving and 2g or less saturated fat per serving


• Less Cholesterol 25% or less than the food it is being compared to, and 2g or less saturated fat per serving


• Low calorie 40 calories or less per serving