IS ALL SUGAR BAD FOR YOU?
Americans eat way too much sugar.
This probably doesn’t surprise you. Most of that sugar comes from processed foods made sweet by adding sugar–some obvious like candy, but others surprising like salad dressing.
But there are foods that are sweet naturally like fruit and milk; these foods are also good because they have things like vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Fiber slows the digestion of foods and slows the release of sugars into the bloodstream; they keep your blood sugar steady (this is a part of our PFF plan, in which you include protein, fat, and fiber in every meal and snack).
Is All Sugar Bad For You?
Many popular diets these days ask that followers cut out ALL sugar—regardless of the source. But is ALL sugar bad?
A recently published study confirms that consuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables is beneficial for guarding against the development of diseases including cancers. As a nation, our current consumption of produce is very low.
This study indicates this as a risk factor for developing diseases, including cancer. Another study showed a correlation between low consumption of fruits and vegetables and obesity in teenage boys.
So how bad IS sugar?
As with many things, the dose makes the poison.
We don’t need a lot of it, and excess amounts can cause cavities, type II diabetes, weight gain, and heart disease. Studies indicate that sugars consumed in their natural sources (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products) do not greatly impact health.
But, when that sugar is removed from its original source to be refined and then added to sweeten other processed products, then we should minimize our intake.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that 10% of our total calorie intake should come from added sugars.
For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, that equals almost 12 teaspoons or 50 grams of added sugar per day, which seems like a lot.
The American Heart Association takes it further by recommending less than 9 teaspoons for men per day and less than 6 teaspoons for women and children.
By way of example, one 12-ounce can of soda has approximately 9 teaspoons (37 grams) of added sugar. But how can you tell how much added sugar versus how much natural sugar you’re consuming? The FDA now requires that all products list the added sugars (separated out from the total sugar content) per serving on the Nutrition Facts label.
Minimally processed sugars are still considered refined sugars, and the body will view all added and refined sugars equally, so sugar in raw and high-fructose corn syrups are not viewed any differently by your body.
What matters most is how much you eat of it.
Honey and maple sugar are different chemically and so are digested differently in the body, but their health impacts on the body need further study.
Sources:
1. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter Special Supplement. “Added Sugars: The Facts about Caloric Sweeteners.” (Feb. 2019)
2. Dennett, C. (2019, April 16). The sugar in fruit doesn’t make it bad for you, despite some trendy diet claims. Washington Post, retrieved from Accessed 4/18/19
3. Yip C, Chan W, Fielding R. (2019). The associations of fruit and vegetable intakes with burden of diseases: a systematic review of meta-analyses. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,119(3), 464-481. Accessed 4/18/19.
4. Zalewska M, Maciorkowska E. (2017). Selected nutritional habits of teenagers associated with overweight and obesity. PeerJ,5. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3681. Accessed 4/18/19
5. https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/health-food-safety/agents-articles/should-you-avoid-sugars-in-fruit-and-milk-for-weight-loss.html
