Sneaky Sugars

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Sneaky Sugars

By Frances Largeman, R.D.

Even if you don't have a sweet tooth, chances are you take in more

than your fair share of sugar each day. Added sugars can be found in

everything from soda to salad dressing and even in otherwise healthy

foods like yogurt.

The World Health Association recommends cutting back on refined

sugar to reduce your risk of obesity. The added sugar in our diets

seems to be adding up to extra pounds on American waistlines. The

amount of added sugars in products is on the rise. According to the

American Dietetic Association, the average American consumed about

123 pounds of added sugar per year in 1980. By 1999, that number had

risen to 158 pounds. Why? We eat out more often, and we're eating

more and more packaged foods and drinking more and more beverage.

The Sugar Bowl

You don't need to have a sugar-free diet, but reducing the amount of

sugar you consume is a wise decision. Look for the following items

on the ingredients label — they're all forms of sugar:

Corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup

Molasses

Honey

Fruit juice concentrate or fructose

Sugar—ite, brown, raw or cane

Look for the amount of sugar listed on the " Nutrition Facts " Panel

of the foods you buy. It will be listed in grams. Because that

doesn't mean much to most of us, use this simple equation to

determine how much sugar is in the foods you eat: 7 grams of sugar =

1 tablespoon of sugar

For example, if the label on your strawberry yogurt says it has 21

grams of sugar, that's the equivalent of 3 tablespoons. And the 20-

ounce frozen coffee drink you had as an afternoon snack not only had

400 calories, but also 18 teaspoons of sugar. Now that's a little

hard to swallow.

Remember: No matter what the source is, be it the natural fructose

in strawberries or the added sweetness of corn syrup, it all winds

up in the same place on the nutrition facts label. If a product only

lists fresh or dried fruit in the ingredients list, you know that

the sugar is derived from these sources. However, if cane sugar and

corn syrup are listed in addition to the strawberries, you know that

sugars have been added.

Cutting down on sugar:

Avoid heavily sweetened breakfast cereals. Go for ones that have 10

grams of sugar or less per serving.

Energy bars and drinks are a common source of hidden sugar. Look for

ones that have less than 12-15 grams of sugar per serving.

Watch out for reduced fat and fat-free products. Sugars are often

added to mask the loss of flavor when fat is removed. You may be

cutting out fat, but not necessarily calories.

Limit sweetened beverages like milkshakes and coffee drinks, which

are deceptively full of sugar and calories.

Buy juices that are 100 percent fruit juice. Be careful about

products that say " 100 percent natural. " That doesn't mean they're

not loaded with added sugars. Avoid products that call

themselves " juice cocktails " and " juice beverages. "

Mix fresh or dried fruit into plain yogurt. Many fruity yogurts are

loaded with added sugar.

Learn to appreciate the natural tartness of fruits like grapefruit,

strawberries and other berries. Choose fruit when it's in season and

it shouldn't need any added sweetness.