SUGAR A white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative; occurs naturally in fruits SIMPLE Carbohydrate Different forms—white, brown, honey, or corn syrup Popularity—adds taste, color, bulk, thickness to foods, can be a preservative in high amounts

SUGAR “Empty calories”– no nutritional value but has calories Often found together with fats (chocolate, cakes) Does not cause diabetes Is linked to tooth decay Can lead to obesity Can depress the immune system

(includes diet sodas, zero-calorie sports drinks, Crystal light, Mio, and fruit juices) The two most abused sugars in the American food supply are: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) Sucrose (aka sugar or table sugar) The artificial (laboratory-derived) sweeteners are: Aspartame Saccharin Sucralose Soda/sports drinks = HFCS Fruit juices/Teas = HFCS or sucrose Diet sodas = Aspartame Zero-calorie sports drinks = Sucralose Crystal light = Sucralose Mio = Sucralose Eliminate sweetened beverages

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends: Men: 9 teaspoons of sugar/day Women: 6 teaspoons of sugar/day Children: 3-8 teaspoons of sugar/day How much sugar is too much? Sugar conversion 4 grams = 1 teaspoon

A Sample of the American Diet Honey Nut Cheerios (1 bowl): 9g Skim milk (4oz): 6g Whole wheat toast (1 slice): 3g OJ (8oz): 22g 40g (10 tsp) + + = Peanut butter (2 Tbs): 3g Jelly (2 Tbs): 13g White bread (2 slices): 6g + Strawberry yogurt (6oz): 14g Coke (12oz): 39g + = 75g (18.75 tsp)

How much sugar is in that? Minute Maid Apple Juice vs. Dunkin Donuts: The sugar in one 15.2 fl oz bottle of Minute Maid apple juice has is equivalent to roughly 25 Dunkin Donut sugared munchkins (52 grams) = Minute Maid Orange Juice vs. Fruit Loops: The sugar in one 15.2 fl oz bottle of Minute Maid orange juice is equivalent to 4 cups of Kellogg’s Fruit Loops (48 grams) =

So, what is real food? Abundance of fiber Very few ingredients Perishable Colorful Contains no added sugars Found in the periphery of the store Food that has been grown

HOW TO REDUCE SUGAR INTAKE Eat REAL food. Focus on quality, not quantity. Keep introducing natural, real foods into your diet and let them gradually crowd out the bad, processed junk. Prepare foods with less sugar. Eat sugar free foods. Use healthy foods, like fruit, to help with a sweet tooth. Buy canned fruit in water, not syrup. Eat fresh foods.

How Easy Sugar Adds Up Food Grams of Sugartsp of Sugar Snicker's bar, 2 oz 30 g 7.5 Low-fat fruit flavored yogurt, 8 oz 28 g 7 1 cup chocolate ice cream (2 small scoops) 34 g 8.5 Pepsi, 12 oz 42 g Pancake syrup, 1/4 cup 42 g Hostess Lemon Fruit Pie, 4.5 oz 46 g 11.5 Lemonade, 12 oz 49 g Strawberry Passion Awareness Fruitopia, 20 oz 71 g McDonald's Chocolate Shake, Med (16 oz) 84 g 21