Q & A: Does Sugar Consumption Really Matter?
Q: I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. I eat pretty healthy, and have tried to use Splenda in my morning cappuccino…but I hate the taste! I use light brown sugar (1 loose tbsp.) along with about 1/2 cup of 1% organic milk. I normally have some breakfast about 1-2 hours after my coffee. I really don’t want to use sugar substitutes. Does it matter that much? Amy in Florida
A: Amy, Sugar consumption only matters if you are the typical American consuming 150 pounds of added sugars each year, and/or you are overweight. Most people have no idea how much sugar they consume, since most of the sugar is added for us before the food ever gets into the house. The scant amount of sugar you are adding to one cup of coffee in the morning is nothing. It is the tablespoons of sugar in almost any food that comes in a box, bag, carton, or wrapper. For example, there are up to 8 teaspoons of sugar in fruited yogurts, up to 7 teaspoons of sugar in some frozen entrees, and almost 4 teaspoons of sugar in a half cup of canned baked beans. Read labels – there are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon. You can start removing sugar by just not buying anything that has more than a gram or two of added sugar.
March 1st, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Hi Elizabeth:
This is not a very simple question, but anyways, there’s the experts, out there that have confused me an so many people. Frist of all they tell us to eat low fat, high carbs, then the tell us not to eat red meat, then they tell us not to eat eggs, or butter. They tell us to make sure that we are eating low fats in portion to carbs, lean meat and with little fat. Then they tell us to eat no more than 20 grams of carbs a day, then they tell us to eat 120 grams of carbs a day( l know the difference between whole grain and junk food)
Then they tell us to eat grass fed beef, and eat organic, yes for some of us this can happen, if they have a lot of money, and are not on a tight budget. Anyways i could go on and on. Could you please clairify some of these myths or expert advices, because l really am confused.
Steve