What products are hiding sugar

- By Michaela Caton

According to the U.S. Department of Health, the United States is the greatest consumer of sugars and caloric sweeteners in the entire world. There are many reasons for this sugar addiction.

First of all, sugar is added to many processed foods and drinks in large amounts. Some scientists believe that the human race’s preference for sweetnes

s evolved as a way to protect itself from poisonous foods. The foods that tasted bitter were seen as dangerous, while sweet tastes, like fruit, were generally safe to eat.

Sugar can be addictive because  when sugar is consumed, it releases dopamine in the brain, which is known as a “feel good chemical.” We all enjoy some chocolate and candy from time to time, and realize we are consuming sugar.

This concept of sugar intake gets complicated, though. When the sugar is hidden in your food, it’s tough to be conscious of how much you’re consuming.

For example, breakfast cereals are looked at as a healthy breakfast to many, and it can be, depending on the brand. Many cereals, especially those targeted towards children, can have as much sugar as a candy bar in one serving.

The high intake of sugar in children can explain some of the behavior problems exhibited in classrooms.

Many people think that because the sugar they are eating comes from fruit, it is better. This fact is true when it comes to eating a whole piece of fruit, the fiber in the fruit helps your body absorb the sugar slowly, causing fewer spikes in blood sugar levels.

The sugar in fruit is called “fructose,” which is also absorbed slower in the body.

When you drink juice, although the fructose is better for you than sucrose or table sugar, your body must absorb the fructose from the juice very quickly when consumed.

Think about how long it takes for you to eat an apple versus drinking a juice box.

Here are some examples of the hidden sugar in potentially healthy foods:

There are 27 grams of sugar in one Nature Valley crunchy granola bar. There are 33 grams of sugar in one 20 ounce bottle of guava flavor Vitamin Water. There is 48 grams of sugar in one 16 ounce bottle of Minute Maid orange juice.

You think you’re eating or drinking the right products, but you can tell by looking at the label that most products are full of sugar, aka anything ending in “-ose.”

Looking at a food label for the word “sugar” may not always suffice. Sugar can be hidden on food labels with many different names, according to where the sugar came from.

For example, corn syrup comes from corn. Some other names for sugar include dextrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, fruit juice concentrates, malt syrup, molasses, invert sugar, honey, sorghum, cane sugar, cane juice and evaporated cane juice.

The primary way you can prevent yourself from consuming excess sugars is to read nutrition labels.

Make sure you take the serving sizes into account. If a juice item says there is 10 grams of sugar per serving, this isn’t for the whole bottle.

You must multiply its total grams of sugar by how many servings you are consuming.

Soda is incredibly high in sugar, as seen in the photo. One 20oz bottle of Coca-Cola has a total of 65 grams of sugar!

Some tips for eating less sugar include eating whole fresh foods that haven’t been processed, reducing your intake of soft drinks and sugary beverages, sweetening your foods with fruit (example: add a banana to your oatmeal) and reading food labels.

Some material came from the newsletter of “Environmental Nutrition.”