How to detect and avoid added sugar

Why is it bad for you

Sugar is added to many types of foods, and eating too many sweets (even from natural sources) carries the risk of increased weight, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and even dementia. Even if you're not overweight, a high-sugar diet may lead to death from heart disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Why is added sugar such a problem? Because it is digested immediately and absorbed quickly, this can cause your blood sugar levels to rise. This triggers the pancreas to secrete more insulin. If the pancreas can't keep up with demand, blood sugar levels rise, which can lead to more problems with insulin secretion and eventually diabetes.

Sugar also causes inflammation throughout the body, increases triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood), and increases dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine gives you a high, which is why the more sugar you eat, the more you want to eat.

Hidden Place

There is obviously added sugar in sugar, cakes, sodas and juices. But it's also found in foods not considered sweets, including salad dressings, crackers, cheese, bread, pasta sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup and breakfast cereals.

You can find added sugars by looking at the ingredients in the product. Look for words ending in "sugar," such as fructose, dextrose, and maltose, and look for syrups and juices.

Added sugars are not found on the Nutrition Facts label because the list of sugars includes both natural and added sugars. The proposed new label aims to change that. But you can see how many grams of sugar are in the product.

What should you do

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women limit their daily intake of added sugars to 24 grams (equivalent to 6 teaspoons) and total daily sugars (natural and added sugars) to 48 grams per day. It recommends that men limit added sugar to 36 grams per day (equivalent to 9 teaspoons) and total sugar to about 72 grams per day. Please check the Nutrition Facts label. They list the total grams of sugar (natural and added) in a serving.

If that's too complicated, it's recommended that you look for places in your diet where you can reduce added sugars. Do you eat a lot of cereal with added sugar? Maybe you like juice. Start eliminating these types of foods and increase your fiber intake.

Final tip: Add sugar to your own food. You may add less sugar than the manufacturer adds.