Friday, March 28, 2014

Is Sugar the New Fat?

After a morning aerobics class at the local YMCA, I was catching my breath in the locker room and chatting to two women from the class. They know I am a registered dietitian nutritionist so the conversation turned from our hard workout to what else....food. One of the women asked me about calcium and what were the best sources. She said she gave up drinking milk because it had too much sugar....11 grams of sugar in a cup of milk and didn't I think that was outrageous?!  Before I could answer the other woman chimed in and started talking about the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation that sugar intake should be halved to 5% of total calories or about 6 teaspoons or 25 grams a day for an average person.


So, back to the calcium question. I suggested a glass of 100% orange juice fortified with calcium as a good way to start the day. Fortified orange juice contains needed nutrients (130% of the daily value for vitamin C, 25% of the daily value for vitamin D, and 35% (or 350 milligrams) of the calcium daily value); that goes a long way in helping women meet the 1200 milligrams of calcium recommended for women of our age. Both women were surprised (shocked?) that a dietitian would suggest drinking fruit juice. "What about all that sugar?" was the reply. I wish I had my carton of OJ to show them that 1 cup of 100% orange juice has 22 grams of sugar and that the sugar is naturally occurring in fruit and fruit juice. These are same women who were sipping on post-exercise recovery drinks that were "all natural." One had a Snapple Cranberry Raspberry (16 ounces = 51 grams of sugar) and Odwalla Mango Tango (16 ounces= 44 grams of sugar).


Sugar is becoming the new fat. Remember when we abhorred fat and removed fat from our favorite foods? That brought us such interesting foods as fat-free cookies (loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates), fat-free cheese (scary stuff that tasted like plastic), and fat-free coffee cakes (remember Entenmann's? Fat-free goodies but often with more calories than the original coffee cake). Now, sugar has taken fat's placed as the new nutrient to be vilified.


Yes, we can all afford to decrease our sugar intake, but why eliminate healthy foods, like orange juice or pineapple juice or milk or yogurt that contain naturally occurring sugars? I work with athletes who are trying to gain weight and I recommended low-fat chocolate milk and 100% fruit juices like grape and orange and apple to boost calories while getting needed nutrients. I think it is better to get real foods with real nutrients than taking protein powdered drinks.


The WHO recommendation is meant to help curb obesity and reduce dental cavities but there are unintended consequences when we demonize one nutrient and try to find a replacement for it. The woman who questioned the sugar in low-fat milk said she read online that almond milk was lower in sugar. True, but did she also notice that almond milk is lower in protein? A cup of almond milk has 1-2 grams of protein yet a glass of low-fat milk has 8 grams of protein. We need the protein in the low-fat milk more than we need fewer sugar calories in almond milk.


So, if you want to reduce sugar intake (and, we all should), start reading labels and look for the hidden sugars in your favorite foods. Check out your brand of peanut butter, catsup, soup, and pasta sauce and see how much sugar is lurking in those foods. Find alternatives (take your reading glasses to the grocery store) but don't give up healthy, nutritious foods just because there is some naturally-occurring sugars in them. I am not giving up my OJ despite the WHO recommendation.

12 comments:

  1. Great article and I totally agree :) People need to be more aware of the hidden sugars and should take time to read the lables :) Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great article and I totally agree :) People need to be more aware of the hidden sugars and should take time to read the lables :) ThanksCLICK HERE

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very nice and informative article, thanks for this post..

    Malegra DXT online

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great Post and nice article.I Got something New Information by your Post.Thanks for sharing.

    Generic Actos

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the post. This is very good article and very informative. I should try to remember those information's. I really enjoyed with this article. Keep posting. I am waiting for your new post. Thank you again.
    Caverta Online

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not all fruit juices are sugary! Take the example of Noni Juice. It is not sugary but filled with lots of vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients. Make sure that the product is Pure Noni Juice otherwise you won't get the benefits your are expecting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great Post!
    As a student studying nutrition, I agree that it is very important for people to be aware of the sugars hidden in what we eat yet to not be afraid to have healthy sugars. I think it is important for people to be aware that a food item may be low in sugar but is also high in something else.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello
    Sugar is indeed becoming a new fat especially amongst the younger generation. It is not about the desserts alone, there are many other food products that contain high sugar value. Avoiding sugar is the only option to stop any disease that comes along with the consumption.
    https://twitter.com/theFactDr refer the page for more information on sugar.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Interesting post. I Have Been wondering about this issue, so thanks for posting.
    login hotmail

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello everyone, my name is ALFREED SIANG i am here to say a big thank you to my doctor DR OLU who helped me enlarge my penis.i have never had a happy relationship in my life because of my inability to perform well due to my small penis, due to frustration,i went online in search of solution to ending my predicament and than i came across testimony on how DR OLU has helped them, so i contacted him and he promised to help me with penis enlargement,i doubted at first but i gave him a trial and he sent me the product which i used according to his prescription and in less than a week,i saw changes in my penis and it grow to the size i wanted and since then,i am now a happy man and no lady complains again about my penis.if you also need the services of my doctor,you can also contact him on his email..drolusolutionhome@gmail.com or his whataspp is +2348140654426

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unfortunately there are a lot of AIDS/Herpes denials on Herbal cures still out there. I did research on them after I was tested HIV/Herpes positive I was so worried am I going to die soon. I continue my search again on herbal remedy for Std, then I found lots of testimony on how Dr Itua Herbal Medicine Cured HIV/Aids, Herpes Virus,Copd, Hepatitis, Diabetes, On websites sharing their testimonies, which made much more sense to me. All the authors pronounce Dr Itua As a man with Good Heart, I pick interest in their testimonies and I contact him about my situation then he gave me procedure how it works, I proceed after one week he courier his Herbal Medicine to me and instruct me on how to drink it for two weeks to cure. I receive His Herbal Medicine so I drank it for two weeks as I was told then after 2 days I go for a test I found out I was cured from HIV/Aids & Herpes Virus, I pay homage to him 2 months ago to his country to celebrate with him on his African festival which he told me it usually happens every year. I know there are lots of (HIV)/Aids&Herpes Virus denials of Herbal Remedy movement the same few doctors and they represent a very small faction of the community. I could have died because I refused Natural Herbs Cures for so long, but luckily, by the grace of God I am alive to tell my story. Contact Info...Whatsapp Number...+2348149277967,Email...drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/My Instagram Username...avat5634 Just in case you need someone to talk with. He cure tthe following diseases below...1. Herpes 2. cancer 3. HIV / AIDS 4. hepatitis 5. Bring my ex back 6. Leprosy 7. SARS 8. Bubonic plague
    9. Cerebrovascular disease 10. Lower respiratory infections 11. Syphilis 12. Influenza A-H1N1 (swine flu) 13.Ischemic heart disease 14. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 15. Whooping cough 16. Perinatal complications 17. diarrhea 18 .. lung cancer.

    ReplyDelete