A Dietitian's Guide to Added Sugars
Whether it's a cookie, an apple, a glass of milk or a slice of bread, sugar is found in nearly every food that we eat. Considered both a gift and a curse, sugar is not only one of our body’s main sources of energy, it’s also known to being an addictive substance. While there are different sources of sugar commonly found in foods, added sugar is considered to be the most detrimental to our health, especially when consumed in excessive amounts.
Let’s break it down without sugar coating it !
1. Added sugar vs naturally occurring sugar
As you may already know, there is a difference between the sugar found in a piece of candy and the sugar you would find in a strawberry. To start, the sugar in a strawberry is naturally occurring with the benefit of being packaged with fibre and other important nutrients. Sugar in candy, on the other hand, is simply raw sugar unpackaged with no nutritional value (also known as ‘empty calories’) that was added in during the manufacturing process.
When we eat ‘unpackaged’ sugar, like white granulated sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar and coconut sugar, it may cause our blood sugar levels to spike and drop very quickly, making us feel tired and low on energy. On the other hand, sugar that comes in a more natural ‘package’, like the ones found in fruit, vegetables and whole grains, in contrast, actually have beneficial effects on our blood sugars and energy.
In general, it is recommended to reduce our consumption of added sugars as eating them more often than not can increase our risk of many health-related problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, weight gain and dental cavities.
2. What about honey and maple syrup?
While honey and maple syrup are known to have trace amounts of nutrients like minerals, they are still considered to be added sugars. That means that they too should be consumed with the same level moderation as raw sugar. For more information about the similarities between honey and white sugar, check out my Myth Buster about the topic.
3. What foods have added sugars?
Added sugars are mostly found in foods that have been highly transformed, like soft drinks, ice cream, bread, pre-made salad dressing, flavoured yogurt, breakfast cereals, and energy bars. This is among the many reasons why, according to the latest Canadian Food Guide, it is recommended to eat mostly whole foods as opposed to eating highly transformed and pre-packaged foods.
For example, instead of drinking orange juice in the morning, try grabbing a whole orange instead. This way, you’ll reap all the nutritious benefits of the orange in its natural fibre-rich package.
Added sugars… they’re a bitter-sweet concept!
The best way to reduce added sugars from your diet is by making smart whole food choices. For instance…
Make your own sweet treats at home — Keep some sweet snacks like homemade granola bars handy for when you need it.
Prioritize whole foods — Feeling something sweet? How about a banana, a date or frozen grapes!
Make substitutions — Instead of buying raspberry flavoured yogurt, try plain yogurt with fresh or thawed raspberries!
What’s your favourite way to eat more whole foods?
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