Hidden Sugars – How to Reduce Your Intake

In recent years, health experts have been making a concerted effort to shine a light on the dangers of sugar. As it turns out, limiting sweets isn’t just about watching your weight or avoiding cavities at your next dentist appointment. It’s also critical for protecting against serious health concerns like heart disease and dementia. Learn more about how sugar affects your health and how you can limit your intake.

Natural Sugars vs. Added Sugars

One of the most important things you’ll need to be aware of when watching your sugar intake is where your sugars are actually coming from. There are two types of sugar that can be found in a typical diet:

• Natural sugars, which are naturally found in foods and beverages, such as fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy. 
• Added sugars, which are any sugars and sweeteners added to foods and beverages, such as candy, cookies, and soft drinks. 

Natural sugars are okay to consume. The foods and drinks they appear in offer nutritional content, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants. These types of sugars are processed slowly and provide energy for your cells.

Added sugars, on the other hand, have no nutrient content. These types of sugars may be added to foods and beverages during processing or preparation. Instead of being processed at a steady pace, like natural sugars, added sugars cause a spike in insulin and what’s known as a “sugar rush.” After that, blood sugar drops, causing sluggish feeling known as a “sugar crash.”

Health Effects of Added Sugars

Consuming too much added sugar can contribute to a number of serious health concerns, including:

• Obesity: Most sugary foods don’t offer much nutritional value. However, they contain plenty of excess calories and can contribute to excess weight gain. There are four calories in one gram of added sugar. A single 12-ounce can of regular soda contains around 8 teaspoons of sugar, which is about 130 calories. 
• Type 2 diabetes: Added sugars don’t convert to energy as efficiently as natural sugars. That means excess sugar ends up staying in your blood, which can cause insulin resistance that makes it harder to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. In addition, being overweight (which can result from excess sugar consumption) also leads to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Heart disease: Having a diet that’s high in added sugars can raise blood pressure levels and cause chronic inflammation, both of which can contribute to heart disease. In a 2014 study, researchers found that people with a high-sugar diet had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than people who consume a low-sugar diet.

Tips to Lower Sugar Intake

It can be tough to cut back on sugar in your diet. After all, sugar is known to be highly addictive. Added sugars cause a surge of feel-good dopamine in the brain, which makes you crave them even more. The more you eat, the more you want—and the harder it is to break the habit.

Health experts recommend limiting added sugar intake to half your daily discretionary calories allowance. That typically equates to about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men. Here are some of the best tips for cutting down on how much sugar you consume:

• Avoid processed foods. Any food that’s processed is much more likely to contain added sugars. Try to eat whole foods instead, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. You can also try making condiments and sauces (such as salsas or pasta sauces) from scratch to avoid added sugars.
• Drink more water. Many beverages, including sodas, energy drinks, and fruit juices, contain excessively high amounts of sugar. Plain or sparkling water is best when you’re thirsty, though you can also look for sugar-free drinks to enjoy occasionally.
• Know what to look for on labels. You might be surprised to learn that added sugars can be found in a number of foods that are not obviously categorized as “sweets,” such as ketchup, bread, soup, and cured meat. Many food manufacturers label their products in a way that makes it tough to detect these sugars. You can find out which foods have added sugar by checking the ingredient list for names like:
• Agave nectar
• Corn syrup
• Crystalline fructose
• Dextrose
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fructose
• Fruit juice
• Glucose
• Lactose
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Mannitol
• Molasses
• Sorbitol
• Sucrose
• Treacle

Limiting your sugar intake is one of the best things you can do to help prevent chronic disease and other health problems. Implementing additional changes for a healthier life can also help. If you want to learn more about taking a proactive approach to your health, make an appointment at Bella Terra Primary Care today. Dr. Karki can offer in-person or virtual telemedicine consultations to discuss your concerns and help you achieve your health and wellness goals.