16 “Skinny” Facts on Sugar that may or may not surprise you!

1) Saccharin is not a natural sugar. It is an artificial sweetener that is used in place of sugar because it has no calories and does not increase blood sugar levels after consumption.

2) Nutralose is not an artificial sweetener. Still, there’s no shortage of no-calorie sweeteners on the market. The FDA has approved five artificial ones, including aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, neotame, and acesulfame potassium.

3) The average American eats the equivalent of about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day — well above the amount the American Heart Association recommends (6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 per day for men). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans basically consume their weight in sugar in a year’s time.

4) A gram of sugar is equivalent to about 1/4 teaspoon. If you visualize a regular teaspoon of sugar, you have about 4 grams of sugar. If a serving of a favorite food or drink contains 16 grams, that’s almost 4 teaspoons in one serving. Can you see how sugar sneaks into your diet?

5) Beyond increasing calories, added sugars have no nutritional value. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar in the diet to no more than 100 calories a day for most women and 150 calories for most men. To put this in perspective, the average 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 8 teaspoons of added sugar, nearly all the recommended daily amount of sugar. A breakfast cereal with 12 grams of sugar per serving has almost 2.5 teaspoons, more than a third of the total recommended daily amount for women.

6) It may be surprising to learn that Americans get added sugars from fruit drinks (fruitades and fruit punch), milk-based desserts and products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk), and sweetened grain products (sweet rolls and cinnamon toast) as well as from soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, and pies.

7) “The old mantra to shop the perimeter of the grocery store is as true today as it ever was,” says University of Vermont nutrition professor Rachel K. Johnson, PhD, the author of the AHA sugar guidelines. Think about your local supermarket. Where are the vegetables, fruits, and lean meats located? More than likely, you can find them on or near the perimeter of the store. A diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meats will be low in added sugars.

8) Surprised? Beverages are the No. 1 source of added sugar in the diet, and we aren’t just talking about soft drinks. Most fruit drinks and sports drinks are full of added sugar.

9) We like comfort foods. We like sweets. We like sugar. We’re just hardwired that way. The truth is that sweet is the first taste we humans prefer from birth, so it’s no surprise that sugar water takes the “ouch” out of things like routine shots for babies. Humans have this preference for sugar largely because carbohydrates stimulate the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are influenced either directly or indirectly by serotonin. This includes brain cells related to mood, sexual function, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and appetite. Sweet!

10) Carbohydrates consist of sugars, starches, and fibers. Current dietary guidance recommends consumption of carbohydrate-containing foods, including vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds, and milk products. Carbohydrate-containing foods are an important source of fiber and other nutrients. Sugars and starches provide glucose, the main energy source for the brain, central nervous system, and red blood cells.

11) In terms of the production of sugar worldwide, as a country, Brazil accounts for 25% of all the sugar produced in the world. As a continent, though, Asia is the sugar production leader worldwide, producing more than one-third of the world’s sugar at 38%. The United States ranks 10th.

12) There is no evidence to show that consuming high-fructose corn syrup contributes to any sort of skin cancer. HFCS, like table sugar, is made up of the sugars fructose and glucose but is far cheaper to produce than plain table sugar.The sweetness of high-fructose corn syrup blends well with packaged foods, such as yogurts, baked and canned foods, and with many sweet beverages.

13) Sucrose, or sugar, is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable as a major byproduct of photosynthesis (the process of turning the sun’s energy into food). It’s found in the greatest quantities in sugar cane and sugar beets.

14) Saccharin is an artificial sweetener, which, diluted in water, is 300 to 500 times sweeter than regular table sugar. Once thought of as a carcinogen, saccharin was removed from the U.S. government’s list of potential cancer-causing agents in humans in 2000 because tests showed that saccharin causes tumors in rats, not people.

15) Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not make sufficient lactase. Your body needs lactase to break down, or digest, lactose, a natural sugar found in dairy milk and dairy  products. When lactose moves through the large intestine (colon) without being properly digested, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as gas, belly pain, and bloating. Some people with lactose intolerance cannot digest any dairy products. Others can eat or drink small amounts of dairy milk products without problems.

16) Many or even most foods in the supermarket have some sugar added, including breads, cereals, yogurts, processed meats, soups, and condiments. Added sugar comes in many possible forms, including granulated white sugar (from sugar cane or beets), brown sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, and high-fructose corn syrup.

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