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New Report Targets Added Sugars
Will Americans sour on higher-priced sweets?
Sugar has been making headlines recently, and the news is anything but sweet for a nation addicted to its soft drinks and candy bars. Earlier this month, some of the U.S.’s largest food companies wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack lobbying for more lenient import restrictions on sugar and claiming that unless policy changes are made “our nation will virtually run out of sugar.”
Well, according to a new scientific report from the American Heart Association, the U.S. could stand to do with less sugar in its diet. The association has released recommendations on the consumption of added sugars, which are sugars and syrups added during the processing of food and also at the table. These sugars differ from those that naturally occur, and a high intake of them, according to the statement’s lead author, Rachel K. Johnson, is implicated in a laundry list of health problems, from obesity and high blood pressure to heart disease and stroke.
“Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories,” says Johnson, PhD., M.P.H., R.D, associate provost and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington, in a press release announcing the statement, which was released in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. “Consuming foods and beverages with excessive amounts of added sugars displaces more nutritious foods and beverages for many people.”
So how much is too much?
According to the statement, women shouldn’t consume more than 100 calories of added sugars on a daily basis; for men, a maximum of 150 calories per day.
That’s not much.
“One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 130 calories and eight teaspoons of sugar,” according to Johnson.
In their letter to the Obama administration, the food industry leaders warn of higher prices for consumers if import quotas on tariff-free sugar are not eased. Perhaps if Americans won’t heed the advice of the AHA, they will think twice about having a soda or candy bar if the price is drastically inflated. Whether they’re thinking with their pocketbooks or their heads, cutting back on added sugars is a no-brainer.
Many of us love the taste of sugar , but the article makes some good points about the negative aspects of sugar on your health including obesity. If you want to learn how to eat healthy and lose weight then please visit http://www.raw-food-repair.com/raw-food-weight-loss.html The site offers some great meal plans, recipes, and ebooks to help you get started. The site offers a free newsletter if you care to sign up.
Sugar is never ever edible! It just makes you eat more and more and makes you fatter and fatter. Not only sugar, but also refined carbs are so bad to you as well!!!!!!! I learned it from my skinnycoach. (www.skinnycoach.com) I simply follow her meal plan which never makes me hungry, and I feel soooooooooo healthy and skinny :) If you are interested in, just check out www.elementalyou.com Also I recommened the books called "Sugar Shock!" and "Lick Your Sugar Habit" Those are great books to understand the danger of sugar.
As a registered dietitian and a consultant for the food and beverage industry I would like to comment on this article. It seems the trend in health reporting is to place the blame for the complex issue of obesity on simple causes including the consumption of sweetened beverages. Let's remember a healthy diet is about moderation, not elimination. People need to make informed, sensible choices based on their individual needs. According a National Cancer Institute analysis from April 2009, Americans get added sugar from a lot of places. Soda, sports drinks, sweetened waters and energy drinks contributes just 5.5% of the calories in the average American diet. That means that nearly 95% of our calories come from other foods. No one food or beverage is responsible for obesity. When we take the focus of this large issue and place it squarely on the shoulders of one food or beverage, we do a disservice to Americans by allowing them to think that one change to their diet can cure their issues with overweight. Virtually all experts agree that people should consume a variety of foods and beverages, budget their calories to balance intake and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. With this approach, any food or beverage can be a part of a balanced and sensible diet when consumed in moderation.
Julie Feldman MPH RD
Wow,
I agree, sugar is bad for me. I've been trying to avoid fake sugars for the past 4 years. I've been looking at the labels and buy goods with real sugar in it not fake corn syrup. I don't know if I'm living better because of it but if the temptation is taken away from "bad" food and toward good ones then SO BE IT...
My friends who travel and have lived overseas have told me how sweet the foods are here in the US. I don't want to be fat or die of diabetes or loose a limb... If I want to eat sweet I'll pay for it and bake it myself.
...Always Forward!,
eblanks
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