Written by Cindy Yergler, RDN, CDE, SIU School of Medicine
White sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, cane syrup, agave syrup – what’s in a name? It’s all sugar and too much is not a good thing!
Many of us crave “sugary sweetness,” but too much can be sickeningly sweet.
Too much sugar has been connected to tooth decay, heart disease, obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes, diseases which are showing up earlier in kids and adults. The American Heart Association recently released new guidelines recommending that children ages 2-18 eat fewer than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day. The guidelines also recommend that children 2 and under receive no added sugar. Sweetness is the only taste humans have a natural preference for, and frequent, early exposure strongly reinforces that preference.
The six teaspoons includes natural sugars in your food or drink and the sugar you add. Six teaspoons isn’t much – and with every heaping spoonful, you’re likely adding 2-4 teaspoons more than you intended. If you are reading food labels, 6 teaspoons is equal to about 25 grams. Find sugar listed under total carbohydrates, and then read the grams listed for “sugars.”
The most common sources of sugar “hiding” out in your foods include:
- sugary beverages, such as sports and energy drinks, coffee drinks and juice
- breakfast cereals, especially sweetened ones, but also raisin bran, granola and flavored oatmeal packets
- regular yogurt, even if it is low-fat
- dried fruit and applesauce
- condiments, including BBQ sauce, catsup and honey mustard
- salad dressings. As little as 2 tablespoons of a salad dressing can contain as much as 2 teaspoons (about 8 grams) of sugar!
- the obvious – candy, desserts, ice cream, ice cream blended with candy and milk shakes
According to Dr. Miriam Vos of Emery University’s School of Medicine, “. . . the best way to avoid added sugars in your child’s diet is to serve mostly foods that are high in nutrition, such as plain fruits, vegetables, whole grains, reduced fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry and fish and to limit food with little nutritional value.”
Encourage your kids to drink water or milk. Limit processed foods in boxes, bags and mixes such as BBQ potato chips, or cookies pretending to be nutrition bars. Keep food “clean” – opt for grilled meats, roasted or steamed veggies, cut up and whole pieces of fruit, whole grain rice or pasta flavored with garlic, low sugar/low fat condiments or a little olive oil.
Enjoy the food and a healthy body you will have!
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