Side note: if you’ve seen Super Size Me and Food, Inc. I would recommend waiting to see Fed Up on DVD. Although insightful, it seemed redundant in its information.
“Sugars” are simple carbohydrates, named so due to their simple molecular structures. There are six simple sugars found in nature: fructose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, and lactose. The sugars we ingest from food are generally in the form of fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). Of course, fruit and dairy are healthy and wholesome foods. It is the sucrose, and all of its varying forms made in laboratories added to food products, that is at issue.
What types of foods contain added sugars? Processed foods. Begin by reading ingredient labels and you’ll be surprised (or more accurately, disturbed) at how much sugar is added to foods. Look at soda, energy drinks, condiments, crackers, breads, cereals, yogurt, canned foods, etc. Unfortunately, the nutrient facts label does not distinguish between added sugars and naturally occurring sugars, but if you see sugar (or its other names) in the ingredients list (and sometimes listed more than once), you will know it contains added sugar. Then take a look at the grams of sugar per serving. Helpful hint: four grams equals one teaspoon.
Our bodies need glucose (which ingested sugars are converted to in the liver) to meet its energy needs and to fuel the central nervous system. There is a safe threshold for sugar consumption, but once that is surpassed, sugar becomes a toxin, especially to the liver. Excessive intake of added sugars causes insulin spikes which overtaxes the pancreas and liver, and leads to fat storage. Because Americans consume an exorbitant amount of added sugars we have epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
The World Health Organization recommends sugar intake to be only 5% of total daily calories. For an adult of a normal body mass index, that equates to six teaspoons (or approximately 25 grams) per day. Think that is easy to attain? It is if you eat a wholesome diet, but not if you consume a lot of processed foods. For example, one 12 ounce can of regular soda has 10 teaspoons of added sugar (usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup).
Once again, in order to live a healthier life we have to regain control over our food choices. Make more meals from scratch. Food corporations will continue bribing the government into believing they can “self-regulate” all the while continuing to make substandard and addictive food products. The solutions are simple, but because human nature is complex, the epidemic continues.
Value yourself, and right choices will follow.
Sources: Sizer and Whitney. (2011). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, 12th Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Siechgtig, S. (Director). (2014). Fed Up [Documentary]. United States.