New guidelines about added sugars are out!! Ya, I'm excited too. Looking like too much added sugar is not only bad for your teeth and weight, but might not be so good for the heart. Of course when you look at this data there are so many other factors involved that it's really hard to pin point one cause. High sugar foods are often high in fat and/or lacking in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Reccomendations are for no more than 100 grams of added sugar per day for women and no more than 150 grams of sugar per day for a man. The guys luck out again. This to me actually sound like a lot when you figure the calories - 400 calories of added sugar for us girls and 600 calories for the guys. That's 20% of calories if you figure 2000 calories per day for an average person.
This does not count the natural sugar in fruit.
I'm looking around my kitchen for foods with added sugar -- mind you my kitchen is not totally normal. Maple syrup - 53 grams sugar for 1/4 cup. Tomato soup - 14 grams for 1 cup. Peanut butter 3 grams for 2 TBSP. Nutella 21 grams for 2 TBSP. Soy Milk - 6 grams for 1 cup. Simply Lemonade 28 grams for 1 cup. Chai Latte mix 16 grams for 1/2 cup. Poppyseed dressing 7 grams for 2 TBSP. Kashi Autumn wheats 7 grams for 1.9 ounces. Instant oatmeal 11 grams for one packet, Honey Bunches pecan 5 grams for 3/4 cup. Multigrain bread- 4 gram in 1 slice.
So the sugar grams can add up by using processed foods, sweetened drinks and condaments with added sugars, as well as using plain old sugar. Honey, mollasses, agave nectar, brown sugar and evaporated cane syrup (I love that one) are added sugars as well.
A little sugar hear and there is not a bad thing. Some of the items I looked at seem to be excessive in sugar and that is where the problems can lay. The tomato soup does not have to have that much sugar. A different brand or homemade soup would fix that. Salad dressings can be a sugar bomb - again another brand, use less or make homemade. Sweetened drinks are another sugar trap. Again I am weird, so a cup of spiced tea with a tsp of honey is good for me. I usually only put honey in if I'm having a cold or sore throat. Cereal is another place where sugar can be lowered. Plain oatmeal is just as easy to make in the microwave, sweeten with a teaspoon of brown sugar, some cinnamon and raisins.
1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams of sugar = 16 calories.
If I look at my day of food for yesterday it looks pretty good (i was not hormonal).
Toast with peanut butter - 5.5 grams
1 Truffle - 4.3 grams
Total - 9.8 grams -- really, I am telling the truth.
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