Monitoring Added Sugars In Your Diet
You've probably seen coverage from media outlets, research studies, and documentaries about how drinking sugar-sweetened beverages negatively affects Americans’ health. Drinking added sugar is linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and consequently early death. A ban on excessive amounts of the sweet stuff - from sodas to sweetened ice teas to energy drinks - has been proposed. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing fast food restaurants not serve sugar-sweetened beverages in excess of 16 ounces. But just how effective would this policy be calorie-wise if it passes?
Limiting Soda Can Save Calories
According to a recent Gallup Poll of over 1,000 respondents, 48% of Americans drink at least one glass of soda every day. While the survey does not define the measurement of a glass, we’ll assume that to mean a tall glass or 12 ounces which matches the size of a regular can of soda (how many of us even own 8-ounce glassware anymore?). The poll reveals 28% of drinkers consume a glass, while another 20% drink two or more glasses for an average of 2.6 glasses a day. That’s about 30 ounces or roughly 350 calories. After excluding the 28% that fall in under the 16 oz. ban, we’re looking at 20% of people drinking more than the limit in a day. If we assume the limit will bring these multi-glass drinkers to just one 16 ounce serving, which is pretty unrealistic, we’ve saved about 162 calories a day. Over a year’s time that’s the equivalent of almost 17 pounds. A more accurate experiment of fast food eateries in four separate cities gave a much less remarkable result. Scientists studied the 1,624 receipts from consumers and determined just 62% of all beverages purchased would be subject to the 16 oz. limit. Without the policy, the mean calories per customer of sugar-sweetened beverages were 197±113 kcal. From this, they determined if all consumers switched to 16 oz. from the 32 oz. size, 63 calories would be saved. However, that’s still about 7 pounds over 365 days.
Labeling Added Sugar
While California law stipulates including calorie counts on fast food menus, the practice is not a nationwide practice. Because processed foods are the source of the bulk of Americans’ added sugar intake, the broader battlefield of limiting calories from added sugar is exposing how much is in the foods we eat. Though the NYC limit would save calories for consumers at fast food restaurants, most may not notice the difference even if they did lower their intake. But what if consumers could tell how much added sugar they were eating in foods they eat at home? It’s not as simple as reading the nutrition label. As it stands, nutrition facts labels do not distinguish added sugars from naturally occurring sugar, but a new proposal by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to test how this knowledge will affect consumer behavior. Just as the food industry is fighting against Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal, they are fighting mad at even the hint of studying how the addition of an “added sugar” label will work. In addition to The Center for Science in the Public Interest and The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, the American Heart Association is all for adding an added sugar label to the Nutrition Facts pointing out, “In addition to the AHA, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate.gov, and countless other sources of dietary guidance recommend that consumers limit consumption of added sugars. Yet this can be difficult to do because added sugars are not currently included on the Nutrition Facts label.”
Added Sugars' Culprits
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Consumption in America survey, in 2000, Americans consumed on average 32 teaspoons of added sugar per person per day. But where else does all that sugar come from? A report by the American Heart Association gives some insight with their Sugars 101 report. There, they list the calories from added sugar per serving in processed food. Carbonated soda does top the list, but check out the rest of the list which includes cereal, non-fat fruit yogurt, peaches in heavy syrup, pancake syrup, and milk chocolate just to name a few. Did we also mention coffee? Some creamers have added sugar in them, adding a double punch for those of us who add a packet or three of sugar. This all adds up to one fact: added sugar is a big part of the American diet that did not start, nor will it end, if people don't stop drinking soda. The first step to winning the war against added sugar might be to expose it wherever it is, and then provide education on the healthier alternatives.
If you want to start to draw down your sugar-sweetened beverage intake, click here for some alternatives. If you know that most of your added sugar intake comes from food, check your intake of bread, cereals, salad dressings, and other condiments.
Your thoughts…
How would an “added sugar” label change your consumption of your favorite foods?
Comments
| cropperz - Aug 11, 2012 11:19 AM | New Comment |
I would like to see "add sugars" notations added to food labels. I look at the grams of sugar in a product, and knowing what should be there would help me make purchasing/eating decisions.
He he, I own several 6 oz and 8 oz glasses for this very reason. :P Japan is very big on serving very small glasses with their meals and I have more or less adapted this so I can have a soda here or some sweetened tea there (mostly I drink water and unsweetened teas) and still be able to account for it.
The added sugars in cereals and breads is what gets me. About the only way for me to escape that is to either not eat those items (not an option right now) or make my own. I can make my own breads, but I've never attempted nor would have any idea on how to make my own cereals. You can make a better oatmeal by just buying the oats on their own and making your own meal out of it instead of buying the pre-packaged oatmeal.
The 50g or less serving is what kills me.. that's such a small amount in a super-processed world. Same with the salt.. 1500 milligrams daily is really hard to stay under when you are limited on what you can buy. I cannot buy lower-sodium items or lower-sugar items because they are not an option where I live.
But, I do the best I can with the situation. It seems to be alright so far.
And I don't agree that we should implement a nanny-state to force consumers to buy less soda/fattening food/etc. You don't stop the alcoholics from being alcoholics by bringing back Prohibition.. and you don't tell the smokers that smoking is illegal, so why start telling the people that really like sodas or burgers from McDonald's that they can't eat or drink those things anymore? It is a choice they made and it is a choice they will have to confront on their own terms if they want to make healthier decisions in their dietary lives.
You can't force change on people by telling them "no". We all know how that goes.
Being no stranger to addiction, I'm quite certain that no matter how the cost of food, cigarettes, or alcohol skyrockets, people who want it will get it. There is no amount of tax, no exhorbitant cost, and no laundry list of legal propositions that will stand in their way.
The only ones who truly get penalized are the ones who can handle their poison in moderation. If our politicians would spend more time cleaning out the skeletons in their own closets and the corruption in their own ranks, they could truly do a better job in the office to which they were elected and guide this country into a more auspicious direction politically, socially, economically, and morally.
Telling people they are not allowed to have sugary substances? Ridiculous and intrusive. Requiring corporations to label products adequately so that people can make informed decisions? Perfectly reasonable.
Many people seemed to have only read part of this article.
Requiring fast food companies to post information is excellent.
I was in CA recently and there it is mandatory for restaurant chains of a certain size to post calorie counts next to menu items. They also have to have nutritional information available upon request--in the store. This is very nice, and I can tell you that it affected what I chose to eat significantly!
Now that I am back in West Virginia I go to the exact same chain restaurants and the information is not on the menu (even though money for research is obviously not the excuse) and when I ask for nutritional information I am told I have to check online.
Putting some reasonable regulations on corporations is hardly a nanny state. Corporations have proved time and time again that they are not ethical entities. They are amoral, profit-driven ones, and therefor are not capable of policing their own behavior as individuals often are.
Original Post by: ffcurry
Many people seemed to have only read part of this article.
Requiring fast food companies to post information is excellent.
I was in CA recently and there it is mandatory for restaurant chains of a certain size to post calorie counts next to menu items. They also have to have nutritional information available upon request--in the store. This is very nice, and I can tell you that it affected what I chose to eat significantly!
Now that I am back in West Virginia I go to the exact same chain restaurants and the information is not on the menu (even though money for research is obviously not the excuse) and when I ask for nutritional information I am told I have to check online.
Putting some reasonable regulations on corporations is hardly a nanny state. Corporations have proved time and time again that they are not ethical entities. They are amoral, profit-driven ones, and therefor are not capable of policing their own behavior as individuals often are.
I couldn't agree more. Well said!
I think it is a good ideal what the mayor of N Y is trying to do. Think about it! The tax payers are the one paying for medical care for these people that go out and eat and drink like hogs. They are the ones with all the medical problems and the tax payers pay the price!!!
Information...labling is AWSOME.
BUT TELLING people what they can and can NOT eat?
I thought this was America(even if the government is FORCING all to buy insurance)....punishing people is NOT going to make them change their bad habits....and neither does belittling/degrading/bullying overweight people which is RAMPENT in our culture right now.
Education is key in HELPING people be healthy having healthy foods available in fast food too. Encouraging FAMILIES to be active.
Not micro managing peoples lives....PLUS EVERYTHING the government sticks its fingers in...get totally messed up. E V E R Y T H I N G!
The truth is that you don't manage your life. The big businesses of the USA do. The large food companies are selling the product to you and I that makes the most money.
Sugar is cheap so selling you an x-large soft drink that they have target advertised to you makes them a lot of money at the expense of your health.
You can't manage it when the only size offered to you is the XL. and many people are not educated enough to know that the XL soda isn't a bargain.
And I have to laugh at you saying you can manage your own life. Seems to me we all need some help with that or we wouldn't need to be on this site !! LOL!
It is 100% fair to allow people to know how much suggar is in any given product. However I do not believe that this will change consumption habbists... since most people do not even take a peek at the label. The problem is that people either do not care, either do not understand what the numbers mean.
... I mean people who eat deep fried food must for sure know that it is too fatty and bad for their healt, but that does not seem to stop anyone.
I support the fact that the information should be there, but by the end of the day it will not change a lot of things, just like labeling cigaretts as "bad for the health" has not stopped people from smoking.
Original Post by: Emmalyne
I think the fuss about the New York proposal is silly. It's not restricting--you can still buy as many 16 oz drinks as you want! And I'll bet you can still refill your cup for free without limits at these restaurants. It will just force people to pause a moment & think about portion size.
Amen! Educate, educate, educate Yes! Dictate NO!!!
It is errogant to believe that we must make laws to force people into doing what you think is right for them!
Original Post by: magsplusInformation...labling is AWSOME.
BUT TELLING people what they can and can NOT eat?
I thought this was America(even if the government is FORCING all to buy insurance)....punishing people is NOT going to make them change their bad habits....and neither does belittling/degrading/bullying overweight people which is RAMPENT in our culture right now.
Education is key in HELPING people be healthy having healthy foods available in fast food too. Encouraging FAMILIES to be active.
Not micro managing peoples lives....PLUS EVERYTHING the government sticks its fingers in...get totally messed up. E V E R Y T H I N G!
Amen! Educate, educate, educate Yes! Dictate NO!!!
It is errogant to believe that we must make laws to force people into doing what you think is right for them!
Original Post by: cropperz
I don't object to an informed public,I strenuously object to nanny state do-gooders like Bloomberg trying to control people by law. Thank you,but I will make my own mistakes,and manage my own life.
In general I agree with you, but what if they wanted to sell cigarettes at McDonalds? Would you make the same nanny-state argument? I think I put the ban on super-size sodas into the "reasonable sacrifice" category. We all buy and consume sodas without a second thought. So if there limits, we would all benefit and not even notice the difference.
I agree with most people that being dictated on what you can and cannot eat or drink is overstepping the personal right boundary. Plus, I don't think the calculations are all that accurate. Most soft drinks come with lots of ice (especially the fast food ones). In fact, I would bet that most people's drinks contain more ice than actual soda, so how are they measuring calories? Is it a 12 oz glass of pure soda? Who drinks that? (cans of soda excluded of course)
Another thing, most people, myself included, prefer lots of ice in their drinks and when the ice melts the soda gets watered down, so the drink is tossed. That means my calorie intake is less.
For anyone that is actually counting calories, I caution that the calorie count may not be all that accurate when referring to iced drinks.
they should absolutely show added sugar on the label!! currently I have no idea how much added sugar I'm consuming, and CC always overestimates it! >:[
I get a baseline of about 50g of imaginary added sugars even when I eat ONLY whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans for the entire day.
It makes sense to use the "added sugar" notation on the food label. It helps if you are trying to have a no sugar or low sugar lifestyle. Once I started the sugar free diet, I read all the labels before putting anything in the grocery cart. It took some time at first, but now I can quickly locate the items that work for me and are sugar free. When it comes to putting practices into law (the law restricting the amount of soda in a container), education needs to come first. If you understand the "why" of something, you have a better chance of gaining acceptance if the person can agree with the thinking involved. This is all new to me, but information is key!
I would love it if added sugar was included in the nutrition label!
I probably would be willing to buy more processed and prepared foods if the information was available -- assuming that the labels showed that the amounts of added sugars were none or very little.
Right now the only way I know how to have a low sugar diet is to do most of my own cooking. It's very time consuming and I'd love to be able to buy "convenience" foods again.
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