A new American Heart Association scientific statement provides specific guidance on limiting the consumption of added sugars and provides information about the relationship between excess sugar intake and metabolic abnormalities, adverse health conditions and shortfalls in essential nutrients. The statement, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, for the first time, provides the association’s recommendations on specific levels and limits on the consumption of added sugars.
The statement says that most women should consume no more than 100 calories (about 25 grams) of added sugars per day. Most men should consume no more than 150 calories (about 37.5 grams) each day. That’s about six teaspoons of added sugar a day for women and nine for men.
The American Heart Association recommends a dietary pattern that is rich in fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, high-fiber whole grains, lean meat, poultry and fish.
How Are Companies Hiding Sugar?
Although most of us know that sugar equals calories, which in turn equals weight gain. Not all of us are aware that several foods that claim to be “low fat” or “health foods”, have hidden sugars. Even if they hide the sugars on the label with a different name.
Here are a few -
• honey
• molasses
• sorghum
• glucose
• fructose
• lactose
• dextrose
• sucrose
• galactose
• corn syrup
• and maltose
• high fructose corn syrup
Which all still equal sugar!
A Gram of Sugar Doesn’t Sound Like That Much, Right?
Another way that companies are fooling us is by putting the amount of sugar in products is by using a measurement, like grams of sugar, instead of teaspoons of sugar. Most Americans don’t have the faintest idea of how much a gram is, because we are not farmiliar with the metric system. Those grams can add up, a teaspoon is 5 grams so 40 grams is 8 teaspoons. So you look at a label, you read 20 grams of sugar, ”that sounds pretty small right?” But 20 grams of sugars is actually 4 teaspoons of sugar. “Now that sounds like a lot more, especially if you’re trying to cut calories.
About the Author -
Lisa Macfarlane is a professional health writer and editor who specializes in sexual health and health issues.
