Sugar.
You know it’s bad, but it’s everywhere. How bad could it really be? We associate sweet treats with parties and happy memories, it’s what we crave after a bad day, it’s how we express love to someone, it’s that afternoon pick-me-up. Sound about right?
Kudos to the sugar industry (and advertisers) for imbedding our need for sugar so deeply within our culture, that it’s taken about 70 years for us to wake up.
Sugar made headlines last week after an article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It turns out that in the 1950s, the industry did it’s share of covering up relevant research on the detrimental effects of added sugar in the diet, specifically related to heart disease. A group known as the Sugar Research Foundation (come on guys, it’s not even a clever name) provided funding to a group of researchers from Harvard University to conduct a literature review. They “debunked” most studies that cast blame on sugar and, in turn, determined fat to be the cause of coronary heart disease. The kicker: the sugar industry failed to mention that they were responsible for funding this research.
Side note: In nutrition research, industries must disclose their role in any research that may benefit them in some way. Basically, anything that is a conflict of interest. BUT, really big but, as long as the researchers make a statement saying the money had no impact on the research, design of the study, or conclusions, they aren’t breaking any laws. Unless someone in the food industry is caught “red handed” influencing research, it goes on to be published, and is often the source for health recommendations! This is insane to me.
Although sugar has never been deemed a health food, this did provide some leverage to keep recommendations for sugar very vague. In fact, the 2015 dietary guidelines was the FIRST time the government took a stance on sugar limitations. They recommend that no more than 10% of your diet should come from added sugar, and based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet, this is around 50 grams (~ 12 teaspoons) of sugar. One can of soda nearly maxes out this goal (a can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar / ~ 7 tsp), not to mention any other sweet treats or those hidden sources of sugar like pasta sauces, salad dressings, protein powders, etc. The American Heart Association has a stronger stance, saying added sugar should be no more than 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men daily.
Heart disease isn’t the only issue with high sugar diets. Foods that are high in sugar are often also high in fat (like pastries, donuts, muffins, etc.), increasing the risk for obesity. Pair sugar with meat and this way also worsen the effects. Even alone, high sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, along with kidney and liver disease.
SO, what exactly is added sugar?
Added sugar is any sugar that is not naturally occurring in the food item. Everything from high fructose corn syrup to organic cane sugar to grade A maple syrup. There have been a few studies on the “healthiest” sugar sources. Date sugar (just what it sounds like, powdered dates) is the most nutritious due to the fact that it contains fiber and other nutrients. Molasses is also nutritionally beneficial. Honey and maple syrup are further down the line, but aren’t considered empty calories due to the fact that they contain trace nutrients. Some of the most refined types of sugar are: cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, etc. These contain no nutritional benefits, just calories from sugar.
But I’m not adding a lot of sugar to my food. Where else can it come from?
Not surprisingly, processed foods are the main source of added sugars! Basically if it is in a box and has a food label, you should be looking at it for the sugar content. There are two very frustrating things about sugar and food labels.
- Companies are not required by the FDA to differentiate between added sugars and naturally occurring sugars. So if you look at the label of pasta sauce, you will see sugar, but how do you know if this is just the natural sugar of the tomatoes or added sugar for flavor or preserving? Until the FDA makes this change, you have to look at the ingredients list. If you see sugar (anything ending in –ose, corn or rice syrups, and the regular offenders. There are over 60 names for various sugars but most are pretty obvious).
- There is STILL no percent daily value for sugar on food labels. This blows my mind because it’s there for all the other nutrients, but sugar lobbyists go hard. A long list of foods and beverages would read 500% daily value of sugar if this happened and those who are paying attention might stop eating their favorite sugary snacks. However, there is hope because the FDA recently submitted a proposal that would require this labeling and most experts speculate it may happen this time with the upward trend of accountability in the sugar industry.
Give it to me straight. How much added sugar can I eat?
The bottom line: educate yourself. To make reading labels more tangible, learn to convert grams to teaspoons (I’m a visual learner for sure). There are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon, so if you see a label with 8 grams of sugar, this correlates to 2 tsp of sugar – just divide by 4. Remember, you should be going for 6-8 tsp or less of added sugar per day. Consider choosing the lesser evils by using date sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and honey for most of your needs. If you make more of your own foods, you are likely to eat less sugar.
Can I still eat fruit?
YES. It’s so important to understand that eating whole fruits does not count toward your added sugar intake. Fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and so many other good things that our bodies need. They do contain natural sugars, but due to the amount of fiber, your body breaks them down differently. In fact, fiber not only slows the release of sugar but may actually limit how much we absorb in our small intestines. Even those with diabetes and/or heart disease DO NOT need to exclude or limit fruit in their diet. High fruit intake has been shown to correlate with improved overall health and fewer rates of chronic disease. Please, eat fruit!
What about artificial sweeteners?
Artificial sweeteners aren’t just linked to migraines, but also chronic disease. The most common sources are: diet sodas, 'sugar free' sweets/beverages, and those lil packs of Splenda, Sweet and Low, and Equal. New research in human trials shows that artificial sweeteners may lead to a disturbance in the gut microbiome (healthy bacteria that make up our large intestine). This is because artificial sweeteners are not absorbed in the small intestine, like real sugar. Instead, they travel on to the large intestine and their metabolism here may lead to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Good news, stop artificial sweeteners, and your gut microbiome can normalize within a few weeks.
Sugar lobbying seems pretty dirty. Is this common in the food industry?
My friends, it’s so common. This exact same thing is going on in the meat and dairy industry. In February 2015, an expert panel of health professionals advising the White House recommended that Americans should be encouraged to eat less meat. Leading up to the dietary guidelines release, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, and the North American meat Institute spent a collective $1.1 million dollars toward lobbying the government. The recommendations did not follow expert recommendation, continuing to recommend moderate meat intake despite concern for both health and environmental factors.
The only chance we have to stop these dirty deals is to become aware and informed. Don’t turn a blind eye when it comes to your health and the health of our planet. Decrease demand by changing your habits, speak up for what you believe in, and spread the word to others!
