Sugar, Part 1: Don’t Fall for its Sweet Talk

Over time, there will be topics that you’ll see me return to because it would be impossible to cover everything there is to say in just one blog entry. Sugar is one of those topics!

Today, I’ll focus on the general health risks associated with sugar – they might not be what you think. Then, I’ll show you the way it hides in plain sight in the foods you eat and explain the sour truth about artificial sweeteners. 

It's Not You. It's Your Brain
The body has an innate desire to consume sugar. This was great for early humans, because it caused them to seek out high calorie foods, which improved survival in the days when food was scarce. Last I checked, that’s not us. (This is not to make light of food insecurity, which is a genuine problem in our country.)

In our modern world, the hardwired desire to eat sugar is still there. Combine that with easy access to an abundance of packaged foods and the result isn’t pretty. What I’m talking about here is added sugar, not naturally occurring sugars like lactose in dairy products or fructose in fruit.

As you’d probably guess, eating too much sugar contributes to obesity and type 2 diabetes. But what you might not know is that high sugar consumption is also linked to increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and decreased immune function. That means you won’t fight off infections as easily. It can also raise your LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad one), while lowering HDL (that’s the good one). Remember when we thought unhealthy fat was the only culprit? Not so. 

Another important point is that the weight gain from eating too much sugar isn’t only because of the extra calories you’re taking in. Excess sugar actually tricks your body into turning off its appetite control system by disrupting the hormones responsible for hunger and satiety. This is particularly the case with sugar-sweetened beverages, because liquid calories aren’t as satisfying as food. So, the more sugar you eat, the more sugar you want, the hungrier you may be. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break.

How Much is Too Much?
Ok, so how much added sugar is too much added sugar? The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women have less than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day, and men have less than 9 teaspoons. But research shows that the average American consumes more than 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day! 

Remember that a teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams, so to circle back to the daily recommendation, women are aiming for less than 24 grams and men are aiming for less than 36 grams of added sugar per day. 

To put that in context, a 12-ounce can of Coke or other cola has 39 grams of sugar. A bottle of Vitamin Water – that must be healthy because it has the word “vitamin” in it – has 32 grams of sugar. A serving of sweetened fruit yogurt has about 14 grams of added sugar. You can see how it quickly adds up. And it’s not just in the obvious places. Things like canned soups or jarred pasta sauces also often have added sugar. Check out your ketchup, mayo, or bottled dressing, too. Chances are that a tablespoon has at least 4 grams of sugar in it. Then imagine putting a teaspoon of sugar on top of your salad. Crazy, right?

Plan of Attack
What can you do? As I’ve said before, reading food labels is one of the best things you can do to improve your diet. But rooting out the added sugar might not be as straightforward as it seems. You have to be able to identify it first, and that means a little vocabulary lesson.

The suffix “ose” is used in organic chemistry to form the names of sugars. Think glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, dextrose…. If it has “ose” in the name, it’s a sugar. And, we all recognize cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, and maple syrup as sugars. But you should also be on the lookout for corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, invert sugar, malt syrup, cane juice, barley malt, cane crystals, crystalline fructose, and the list goes on. 

Now that you know what names to look for, you also want to watch for products that contain multiple types of sugar. There’s a simple and sneaky reason for this. And it has nothing to do with how the product tastes. 

You see, food manufacturers have to list ingredients in order of weight, with the main ingredient listed first. Using multiple forms of sugars enables a food manufacturer to put the sugars lower down on the ingredient list since each one separately is not present in a large amount. If only one type of sugar was used to achieve the same sweetness, it would most likely be the first or second ingredient. 

Consider this example of a chocolate chip granola bar. The ingredients are: oats, agave syrup, cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, brown rice syrup, sunflower oil, invert cane syrup, brown rice crisps, vegetable extracts, salt. This little one-ounce granola bar has four different types of sugar added! If only one type of sugar was used, where do you think it would fall on the list? 

Fake It?
This might have you thinking that artificial sweeteners are the way to go. For so many reasons, they’re not. One compelling one – according to Massachusetts General Hospital  – is that they can change not only your appetite, but also the way your body responds to sweet taste. Since artificial sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar, they trick your brain into thinking a large number of calories is about to come in. When the calories don’t follow, stronger sugar cravings may result.

Sweet Solution
My advice? When baking at home or purchasing a product with added sugar, focus on the least processed sugar possible. For my money, that's raw honey, molasses, and maple syrup. They all contain trace amounts of minerals and antioxidants, making them a better choice than stripped down white sugar. 

I’ll go into more detail on best and worst sugar choices – including why agave should be on your naughty list – next week. 

I hope I’ve given you something to chew on about the sugar you eat. If this is something you struggle with, drop me a note and let’s chat. You won’t believe how much more energy and clarity you’ll have when we break the cycle of sugar consumption.