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It's
time to end our love affair with the sugar bowl
Sept. 2, 2009
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Are
we heading toward The Great Sugar Crash?
If the American Heart Association gets its way, yes.
We’re eating way too much sugar. And, for once, a prominent
mainstream health advocacy group is telling it like it is.
The AHA’s recommendations, published last month as a
scientific statement in the journal Circulation, accurately
convey the extent of the dietary changes needed for most of
us to achieve a balance of nutrients that supports health.
The problem with the truth in this case is that it sets a
goal most of us would find difficult to achieve.
The AHA statement responds, in part, to evidence that links
higher calorie intakes and consumption of sweetened beverages
with higher rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Science has not made a direct link between added sugars in
the diet and weight gain. However, given the facts, it’s
logical to conclude that added sugars play an important role.
Data from national surveys of our eating habits show that
total calorie intakes have increased by 150 to 300 calories
per day over the past 30 years. Physical activity levels have
remained the same.
We’re eating more, but we’re not moving more.
An epidemic of obesity has resulted.
Of those extra calories we’re consuming, half come from
liquids, especially sugary beverages.
The AHA suggests that the average adult woman consuming 1,800
calories per day should limit added sugars to 5 teaspoons
– 80 calories worth – per day. The average man
should limit added sugar to 9 teaspoons, or 144 calories per
day on a 2,200 calorie diet.
Most of us eat at least 22 teaspoons of added sugar every
day.
Added sugars are sugars or syrups added to foods during manufacturing
or at home during food preparation. A single, 12-ounce can
of cola contains about 8 teaspoons of added sugar.
Natural sugars are found in fruits, vegetables, milk, beans
and grains, but these don’t count for purposes of the
sugar limit. That’s because the sugar in these foods
is accompanied by hefty doses of health-supporting vitamins
and minerals not found in soft drinks, candy, and other “empty
calorie” sweets.
That gets at the crux of the matter: ensuring we get the nutrients
we need within a calorie intake that promotes an ideal weight.
Most of us have no more than 200 to 300 calories to play with
each day. That’s all we can afford to spend on junk
foods and still leave enough calories for the nutritious foods
that give us what we need to support health.
So how are you going to monitor the number of grams of added
sugar you eat every day?
You can’t. It’s not practical to do.
That’s because food labels don’t differentiate
between natural and added sugars, and they don’t list
the number of calories from added sugars.
Instead, follow general guidelines:
* Eliminate caloric, sweetened drinks such as soft drinks,
fruit drinks and sweet tea. Replace them with water, diet
drinks and unsweetened beverages, preferably those with no
calories.
* Radically reduce your intake of cake, pastries, cookies,
candy and other sweets. Keep these foods out of the house
and office. If you need a fix, order a single serving out
at a restaurant.
* Use added sugars judiciously. One teaspoon of sugar in a
cup of coffee, brown sugar in your oatmeal or a bit of maple
syrup on a whole wheat pancake adds enjoyment but keeps added
sugar low.
Critics of the AHA’s new sugar guidelines will point
to platitudes such as “everything in moderation,”
and “all foods can fit.” Our diet is so extreme
that to make so-called moderate changes is to delude yourself
into thinking that you’re doing enough.
There’s nothing moderate about the amount of change
needed in most Americans’ diets.
Suzanne
Havala Hobbs is a licensed, registered dietitian and clinical
associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and
Management and the Department of Nutrition in the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health. Send questions and comments
to suzanne@onthetable.net.
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