By: Linda Vongkhamchanh

Aug 26, 2009

On Monday, the American Heart Association (AHA) released new research recommending that Americans reduce their sugar intake, as excess consumption causes severe health implications such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and obesity. On average, Americans are consuming 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is way too much compared to AHA recommendations. Women should only be consuming six teaspoons and men nine. And, they’re not talking about natural sugar in fruits and veggies, they’re referring to “added sugar”—the stuff in processed foods, drinks and pure sugar.

Alright, so it seems like we’re told everyday to not eat this or not eat that or we’ll all pretty much die, but really what we need to know is how to control our daily consumption of these so-called evils: sugars, fats, carbs, etc. It takes baby steps and time. So, let’s start together. First, be aware that there are so many sneaky manufacturers out there making food products with nutrition labels showing the sugar content, but not identifying the good sugars and bad sugars separately.

“With more attention to ‘added’ sugars in foods (not what nature intends in fruits, vegetables, or milk), food labels should improve to reflect natural sugars and added sugars,” says nutrition expert Madelyn Fernstrom Ph.D., CNS. “And, make no mistake, sugar by many other name is still sugar—brown sugar, molasses, honey, cane syrup and more. Even high fructose corn syrup is almost the same chemical structure of white sugar (sucrose).”

To find out other names for sugar >>

Secondly, we naturally are attracted to sweet foods. I mean, they’re delicious, but our sweet tooth may be getting us in trouble. Try weaning yourself off of added sugars by limiting sweet foods and drinks, whether it contains sugar or not (sweetener). The idea is to minimize the intake of sweet flavors, so that you can maintain your sweets cravings. This takes time.

Most importantly, know what you’re eating. Avoid processed foods with added sugar and go for whole foods with natural sugar. While this sounds easy, there are sneaky sugary culprits out there that you may not be aware of—check out our list.

1. In your drink. At your next meal, be aware of what you're drinking. Liquid calories from sugar are a major culprit for weight gain. By cutting one soda a day for a year, you could lose up to 15 pounds. When it comes to alcohol, cocktails made of bottled mixers, juices, sugary sodas or tonic water—added with liquor—are sugar-filled. Have a glass of wine or your spirit of choice with soda water.
    
2. Coffee break. Ever wonder why Starbuck’s iced coffee is so delicious? It may be because you’re getting the sweetened version. Ask for your grande, unsweetened, and add your own sweetener (one Splenda makes perfect) or no sweetener, so you have control over your drink. With this trick, you could cut up to 24 grams of sugar—you entire day’s worth of sugar in one drink.
    
3. Snack time. The next time you pick up a yogurt. Choose wisely. The fruit at the bottom is sugar-packed. I’d try Fage 0% Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and a teaspoon of honey.
    
4. Dining out. Most of the time, dishes with the keyword "glazed" in the name usually means high sugar. Stick with simple grilled foods, if you're watching your weight.
    
5. Fruity foods. Sometimes I think I’m being pretty healthy when I eat anything with fruit in it. While that may be the case, we still need to watch our portion control when it comes to foods and drinks with fruit juice concentrate, which generally is a red flag for sugar. For example, juices, jams, jellies or fruit snacks.
    

While you can’t cut out all sugar (or life would be miserable), the best thing to do is to think of sweets as an extra—not a requirement at every meal—and treat sugar as an added flavor enhancer to nutritious whole foods. Now that’s the sweet life.

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