They even out sugar in canned vegetables these days. Might as well have a peas and carrots milk shake or a green bean flavored soft drink.
3
The moral of the story: MYO (make your own). Bread. Pasta sauce. Smoothies. Yogurt. Hummus. MYO. Otherwise, you’ll be poisoned.
Poisoned.
6
Sugar is addicting and creates a craving for more and more. Not only that, I find it makes me hungrier so not only do I want more sugar, I want more food in general. I "gave up" sugar 10 years ago. The first three days were torture, the next 7 were really hard. After that, it is your mindset. To give up sugar, you need to think about what converts to sugar, what sugar is and what sugar is in. Read labels. White flour (most bread, pasta) is basically sugar in your body. Avoid white rice (brown has a delicious flavor and texture) and indulge in white potatoes only occasionally. Basically, if you avoid white foods or foods with white products in them, you can eliminate or reduce your sugar intake. If you are craving sugar, eat whole fruit, especially something like an orange. It has sugar but with the fiber, it takes your body a much longer time to absorb it.
I do wonder about the mention about stevia lumped in with the sugar. Stevia has no calories and is a naturally occurring plant. I do not eat much stevia, either, but it does not set off the sugar craving/hunger sequence like sugar does.
3
Worth going back and reading David Leonhardt's column on this subject from last December. A practical way to start. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/opinion/a-month-without-sugar.html
2
I will echo the many comments here as I have tried to drastically limit sugar in my diet and have been stymied by the addition of sugar and sugar products to virtually all processed foods. Time to buy whole foods and make my own: not that difficult.
5
While adopting a macrobiotic diet about 10 years ago in response to a serious health issue, I sought to eradicate sugar from my diet to the extent possible. I was amazed to discover that all of the many breakfast cereals offered by the near-by Whole Foods contained added sugars in one form or another. They were not alone. The offerings at the other grocers were similar or worse. Breakfast here is usually stone cut oatmeal without sweeteners. Read the labels and weep. Lots of that poison in the food chain.
8
I spent the last 20 years in Europe and was quite surprised at the extent of added sugars when I returned to the US. When I left, a few spaghetti sauces has added sugar. Now, it is hard to find one without it. I've found added sugars in all sorts of products where I'd never expect to find sugar: vegetable broth, canned black beans. I have to read the ingredients on everything.
6
We sell each other poison because it's profitable. If you have money in a mutual fund you're probably have some of that money invested in food manufacturers which means you're profiting from added sugar. Likewise tobacco and other harmful products.
5
A touch of sugar often makes things taste better. Eg. sugar in the water to boil corn a touch of sugar in spaghetti sauce. Yoplait yogurt uses pear juice as a sweetener-- Why does the Times writer miss this one? Try to buy unsweetened, unflavoured yogurt with normal 4% fat content!!
Useful would have been the info as to howmany grams of sugar per day are considered unhealthy? PS carrots have sugar..beets, more. dates thru the roof..
Why do we have sugar tariffs to protect the sugar industry? Sugar is very good and cheap for making ethanol -- instead stupidly we use corn for that purpose. (PS not importing sugar is a great way to strangle Cuba!! and that animosity should long be over.) Rum is a tasty form of sugar. ;-D
Useful would have been the info as to howmany grams of sugar per day are considered unhealthy? PS carrots have sugar..beets, more. dates thru the roof..
Why do we have sugar tariffs to protect the sugar industry? Sugar is very good and cheap for making ethanol -- instead stupidly we use corn for that purpose. (PS not importing sugar is a great way to strangle Cuba!! and that animosity should long be over.) Rum is a tasty form of sugar. ;-D
5
"Try to buy unsweetened, unflavoured yogurt with normal 4% fat content!!"
Nancy's yogurt from the Springfield Creamery in Eugene, OR. I've seen it in some NY supermarkets, my sister's seen it in a St. Louis supermarket. Made w/organic milk or non-organic milk, plain yogurt, no added sweeteners.
1
People need to read labels. Also, you do not know what you are getting in restaurant food so it is much better (and safer) to eat at home and know what you are putting into your body. Americans are obese; just go to Europe and you will see how the fatties stand out.
5
Another article in today's Times was about the rise of obesity in the US.
We just got home from eating at a fantastic restaurant in Hendersonville, NC which had Tapa's. The waitress was telling a table next to us who had never been there that people usually ordered 2 or 3 each. We were listening and said that would be way too much food.
That is the trouble with our obesity rate - eating way to much.
The waitresses were heavy, 250 at least. If you eat in moderation you can eat some sugar with out ruining your health.
1
We have been making our own salad dressings, bread, and tomato sauce for years. Not only do they taste far better but we then there is no added sugar. It takes next to no time or skill at all! The NY Times cooking pages have great recipes!
7
It's time for a sin-tax on added sugar. We can raise millions $$. The craving for sugar is immense.
6
I noticed this on my own many years ago. I was shopping and could not find a single US made sausage that did not contain sugar then I watched a show about sugar and its addicting qualities. This show connected the dots between the tobacco industry and the food industry. The RJ Nabisco connection. The same folks who brought you ramped-up nicotine in cigarettes are now running the food industry. Addiction is good business but bad nutrition.
Just remember when you think of food, it is all about corporate profits. Nothing more nothing less. If they create a health crisis while earning a profit and you don't make them stop, they have a fiduciary responsibility that outweighs any ethical considerations. It is also an addiction called greed.
Just remember when you think of food, it is all about corporate profits. Nothing more nothing less. If they create a health crisis while earning a profit and you don't make them stop, they have a fiduciary responsibility that outweighs any ethical considerations. It is also an addiction called greed.
15
After checking the label on my greek yogurt with fruit, I started checking all yogurt labels with added fruit. All had added sugar or corn syrup.
Buy only plain yogurt and add your own fruit. No added sugar that way.
Buy only plain yogurt and add your own fruit. No added sugar that way.
6
Last fall I bought several shelf-stable cartons of Whole Foods organic soup to have available for a quick lunch. Stupidly, I did not check the labels.
I tried the first one, Minestrone, and as I tasted it I kept saying -- this is wrong! Why is this so sweet? I went back and checked the label, and sure enough concentrated cane syrup was a significant ingredient. Checking the other soups (Caribbean Black Bean and Chicken Noodle) -- all had one of the sugar addons as a significant ingredient.
I just cannot imagine adding sugar to Minestrone soup. But this experience taught me -- make your own soup and freeze it for future use. It is the only way to control the ingredients. And read the labels carefully -- but in this case there were no options in the store without added sugar! Disgusting.
I tried the first one, Minestrone, and as I tasted it I kept saying -- this is wrong! Why is this so sweet? I went back and checked the label, and sure enough concentrated cane syrup was a significant ingredient. Checking the other soups (Caribbean Black Bean and Chicken Noodle) -- all had one of the sugar addons as a significant ingredient.
I just cannot imagine adding sugar to Minestrone soup. But this experience taught me -- make your own soup and freeze it for future use. It is the only way to control the ingredients. And read the labels carefully -- but in this case there were no options in the store without added sugar! Disgusting.
12
Bottom line is the vast majority of consumers are just too lazy to cook. So they rely on processes foods that are chocked full salt, saturated fats, sugar, and chemical preservatives.
In about the same time it takes to boil a pot of water, cook dried pasta, and heat up a jar of processed sauce, you can broil salmon and fresh herbs, toss a salad, and sauté fresh asparagus. The NY Times food writers offer a plethora fast and delicious recipes at the ready.
In about the same time it takes to boil a pot of water, cook dried pasta, and heat up a jar of processed sauce, you can broil salmon and fresh herbs, toss a salad, and sauté fresh asparagus. The NY Times food writers offer a plethora fast and delicious recipes at the ready.
1
But can the average consumer afford what sounds like s delicious meal. I eat as you suggest and all organic, have for a long time, but I also make good money and cannot for the life of me figure out how the average consumer feeds her family.
18
Adding to what Craig said -- I like reading many NY Times food writers, but some of them are downright scornful of consumers who do not use expensive ingredients. I'm talking about you, Sam Sifton, and your disdainful comments about supermarket chickens and milk that isn't organic. It's a real turn off.
9
You know, some people work for a living. Some people work long hours. Some people work long hours and then need to go and pick up their kids. Some people have literally 2-3 hours a day between that action and putting the kids to bed and in that time, they need to make dinner, eat it, get the kid to do homework, spend some time together, take a bath, read a book, go to bed. Most people would not consider taking those kids to the grocery store to pick up the salmon a good use of the small amount of time they have with them. Not to mention the 1 hour time suck that would take in most American cities.
By the end of the day, most people are tired and want a few minutes to themselves or they need to start in on the house chores. If the other parent is home, in theory, they could go grocery shopping at 10pm to get the fresh salmon for tomorrow's dinner. If not or if there is no other parent or if the other parent works, most people are in no mood to go to a brightly lit supermarket.
How long do salmon and fresh herbs keep in the fridge? A lot less time than dried pasta and sauce, that's how long. The problem is not with people who have nearly unlimited free time to spend on themselves and their bodies. The problem is with the rest of America whose lives are absolutely nothing like yours.
By the end of the day, most people are tired and want a few minutes to themselves or they need to start in on the house chores. If the other parent is home, in theory, they could go grocery shopping at 10pm to get the fresh salmon for tomorrow's dinner. If not or if there is no other parent or if the other parent works, most people are in no mood to go to a brightly lit supermarket.
How long do salmon and fresh herbs keep in the fridge? A lot less time than dried pasta and sauce, that's how long. The problem is not with people who have nearly unlimited free time to spend on themselves and their bodies. The problem is with the rest of America whose lives are absolutely nothing like yours.
23
Personally, I don't want a label that tells me all the extra sugar they're adding: I want products that don't contain added sugars.
13
Who are all these people - seriously - who don't pick up the jar or the carton or the can and turn it over? Avoiding added sugar is one of the easiest things to do if you want to. It doesn't even mean avoiding all processed foods: most pestos and soy sauces, many brands of red sauces (including almost all canned tomatoes), natural yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese, crackers and pretzels, a couple of fruit preserves and even certain processed cereals like Cheerios, Shredded Wheat and Grape Nuts have no or minimal added sugar. The only time I have ever been surprised by added sugar content was with Raisin Bran -- a cereal I had incorrectly thought to be analogous the sugar-free European Raisin Wheats.
I cut out added sugar a few months ago for health reasons -- and now I have the occasional slice of pie or birthday cake and can feel confident that my sugar intake is occasional and deliberate. It was straightforward and worthwhile (net weight loss of 23 pounds in three months).
I cut out added sugar a few months ago for health reasons -- and now I have the occasional slice of pie or birthday cake and can feel confident that my sugar intake is occasional and deliberate. It was straightforward and worthwhile (net weight loss of 23 pounds in three months).
7
How much added sugar is in wine and beer? These are not labeled yet but this could be changing soon.
As Americans become more conscious of their sugar intake, wine and beer labeling should be mandated to allow consumers more freedom of choice and shine the spotlight on 'fortified' practices in the industry.
As Americans become more conscious of their sugar intake, wine and beer labeling should be mandated to allow consumers more freedom of choice and shine the spotlight on 'fortified' practices in the industry.
3
Am glad for this improvement on labeling. We are considering going "sugar free" for a month which essentially means no processed foods. No catsup, no mustard. Sugar is a cheap unnecessary additive, not particularly a flavor enhancer, certainly an insidious player in the American diet. Frankly, alot like salt, it dulls the palate to more subtle flavours in food.
4
Salt is vital to health. And, in modest quantities, to taste. Lets not get over the top.
8
I keep reading shocking things about all the sugar put into American food. For example, here I see that of “the packaged foods and drinks that are purchased in American grocery stores … 60 percent of them include some form of added sugar.” Who was it that said “if it’s a plant, eat it; if it’s made in a plant, don’t”? Sounds like good advice, especially when so much processed food contains strange things that mean “added sugar.” Dri-mol? Flomalt? Gomme? Kona-ame? Mizu-ame? Nulomoline? –Yet “the wide variety of sugars is not always meant to confound consumers”? Good material for conspiracy theories there, little as I like them! I once tried some baby formula I was mixing up, was astonished to find that it tasted like pudding, and threw away the whole container, turning to homemade foods for my babies instead (as well as breastfeeding). I’ve written about the way I satisfied my sweet tooth while giving up added sugars for some time in "New Year’s Resolution: Less Sugar, More Olive Oil" (http://www.greekliquidgold.com/index.php/en/recipes-with-olive-oil/231-n.... But that may be easier in Greece than in the USA.
Critics mention that there isn't a clear link between high sugar and certain diseases. I think they need a biochem lesson- sugar is eventually converted into fat if it is not used, which is stored along with fat from other sources. It's highly likely we get more fat from sugar than fat itself seeing as we try to limit lipid intake, but don't really try to limit sugar. Do not misunderstand, sugar is vital- we need it to live and those who go without it tend to cave in within a week due to the brain's demand for a readily used energy source. We also need lipids (fat) - without which we will die as well (what are cell membranes made of?) moderation is key, but if you want to go all out sometimes, it's ok (just be sure to work it off :) )
2
I don't particularly care for sweet foods or beverages. I'm more of a "savory" type. I don't like soda or fruit juice, but I love vegetable juice; I rarely drink beverages other than water or unsweetened tea (and coffee with milk, no sugar). I prefer dry red wines over whites. The only yogurts I will buy are plain or Siggis brand, with very low sugar and none of that jellied "fruit at the bottom". I have always looked at the nutrition labels for sugars, and for sodium. I actually enjoy the tart and natural flavor of the yogurt itself, and so often wonder WHY there's so much added sugar in everything. Are people so trained to like everything sweet, sweet, sweet that they can't just enjoy the natural flavors of foods?
Yes.
And it starts at a very young age.
And it starts at a very young age.
3
Luckily for the American consumers, it is not illegal not to buy manufactured food. So please stop complaining.
1
I had to laugh. Evaporated cane juice, eh? Nothing like a little bit of obfuscation to make your day. Pure sugar by any other name.
Here's a thought, folks. Try staying away, as much as you can, from processed foods. Because it's clear the food "industry," is focused less on the (good for you) quality of that which they purvey than in a product designed and manufactured to separate you from your money as easily as possible.
They do this by catering to that which the human animal craves, but which has little true nutritional value for you. You need to understand it's all about making a profit, nothing more. Keep this idea firmly in your primate frontal lobes the next time you're stalking your groceries at the store.
John~
American Net'Zen
Here's a thought, folks. Try staying away, as much as you can, from processed foods. Because it's clear the food "industry," is focused less on the (good for you) quality of that which they purvey than in a product designed and manufactured to separate you from your money as easily as possible.
They do this by catering to that which the human animal craves, but which has little true nutritional value for you. You need to understand it's all about making a profit, nothing more. Keep this idea firmly in your primate frontal lobes the next time you're stalking your groceries at the store.
John~
American Net'Zen
Years ago when I first took up "Chinese" cooking I asked one of my friends how I was doing. They said that it was good but not as good as restaurant food. I went back to the front of "The Thousand Recepe Chinese Cookbook" and read about how much sugar and salt to add. Amazingly my dinners could be as "good" as the restaurant dinners. Americans like food with sugar and salt. Free enterprise produces food that people will buy not what you think is good for them. If you can convince people that you have the right answer perhaps you can do as much damage as replacing all of the fat with sugar. Food producers will produce what people want.
1
They even juiced up the Pretzels. When the major manufacturers- but not all - doped up this beloved and basic snack with sweeteners to drive consumption, realized Adam Smith's invisible hand was not quite so free or good. Did any of us in the market 'demand' sweeter pretzels? No. Did sellers find our blooming belly citizens eat more of what you sell when it is sweet? Oh yeah. Like dear Pavlov's pups, folks are being trained to seek out sugars they did not even know they were consuming. Read the label, buy the basic.
4
Liquid Coffee-Mate has "corn syrup solids" as the second ingredient, after water.
2
Now we know that the Sugar folks demonized FAT (a macro of our basic food groups along with carbs and protein) to promote sugar, overweight people with diabetes, bad hearts and shortened life spans. So, eat fats which are important to your health and shun sugar. The pounds will fade away! Don't be afraid!
4
Timely - I've made two NYT Cooking recipes that both called for sugar this past week. Reader comments for one recipe (granola) recommended eliminating the sugar and reducing the quantity of maple syrup. Comments for the other (farrow with roasted squash) suggested replacing the sugar with maple syrup or agave. I followed recommendations for both, but ultimately felt concerned about the fact that I made two recipes with "added sugar." I don't typically have much of a sweet tooth, but do think the granola and the squash both benefitted from the touch of sweetness. Am I just digging my own grave instead of letting the processed food manufacturers do it for me?
4
I applaud this change.
Too many food manufacturers figure that if everone else is doing it, then jump aboard.
And yet, once you actually taste food cooked without that extra sugar, you realize you don't need it in your yogurt or pasta sauce or bread or chips.
Leaves more room for when you really want the sugar, like dessert.
Too many food manufacturers figure that if everone else is doing it, then jump aboard.
And yet, once you actually taste food cooked without that extra sugar, you realize you don't need it in your yogurt or pasta sauce or bread or chips.
Leaves more room for when you really want the sugar, like dessert.
8
Me thinks golden syrup will take pride of place come January 20.
If it has a label you probably shouldn't eat it.
12
The most reliable way to eat is to eat foods that are whole (not the store). Buy your veggies, fruits, meat, etc. raw and cook it. That way, the only way to get added sugar is to add it yourself. Need pasta sauce? Buy tomato puree, tomato sauce and add your own vegetables and/or meats. If you have a food processor than even better - you can get the tomatos and make it yourself, with very little prep time.
It's fantastic that this is finally happening, but the only way to deal with obesity and disease is to take personal responsibility for the creation of your own food. Meal prep your lunches on Sundays and eat bland breakfast foods. At dinner eat your family favorites and throwbacks, and one day a week eat whatever you want. Don't even mind the sugar labels: just indulge. It's healthy for the mind and body to do this.
It might suck in the beginning, especially if you're used to a high sugar and sodium diet, but in the long run you will find that the natural sugars in vegetables, grains, fruits and meats are truly delicious flavors.
It's fantastic that this is finally happening, but the only way to deal with obesity and disease is to take personal responsibility for the creation of your own food. Meal prep your lunches on Sundays and eat bland breakfast foods. At dinner eat your family favorites and throwbacks, and one day a week eat whatever you want. Don't even mind the sugar labels: just indulge. It's healthy for the mind and body to do this.
It might suck in the beginning, especially if you're used to a high sugar and sodium diet, but in the long run you will find that the natural sugars in vegetables, grains, fruits and meats are truly delicious flavors.
2
Very little prep time to make tomato sauce from scratch? Are you kidding me?
I tried 3 times to make it from tomatoes grown in my garden and just trying to get the peels off the tomatoes took over 2 hours. When I didn't do that the sauce was ruined by pieces of skin.
Peeling and chopping enough garlic took another 30-40 min.
Plus, every recipe called for adding sugar.
Plus, I had to go and buy special equipment to make it.
I like cooking but cooking is very time consuming and often requires expensive tools and equipment.
I tried 3 times to make it from tomatoes grown in my garden and just trying to get the peels off the tomatoes took over 2 hours. When I didn't do that the sauce was ruined by pieces of skin.
Peeling and chopping enough garlic took another 30-40 min.
Plus, every recipe called for adding sugar.
Plus, I had to go and buy special equipment to make it.
I like cooking but cooking is very time consuming and often requires expensive tools and equipment.
1
Another key motivation this excellent piece didn't mention: all these variant names for sugar allow the manufacturer to NOT list sugar as say, ingredient #2 in the list of ingredients. By disguising sugar under five different pseudonyms, it gets broken into pieces and driven further down the ingredient list, so buyers think there is less sugar than there really is. But there is plenty of rice syrup and evaporated cane juice in there.
8
This will make it much easier to pick foods fore my 4 year old granddaughter. I really don't like to feed her sugar.
Added sugar is the culprit.
Added sugar is the culprit.
1
I have been unhappy to find sugar added to canned kidney beans!
8
Great and important list. Thank you! The "added sugar" line will help enormously, so long as every single added sweetening agent, including the ones not yet invented, must be included. Still, this is an important step and a hopeful one. Would love to see a follow-up article on high fructose corn syrup, including who stands to win and who stands to lose if it goes away.
1
You forgot a couple: white grape juice concentrate and apple juice concentrate. If those aren't added to the "added sugar" definition you can be sure that the will be added to a lot of food instead of listed sugars. Or rather a lot *more* foods--they're already in a lot of "no added sugar!" products.
7
They are part of the huge second table -- all the "juice concentrates."
1
You missed some other sneaky ones: Glucose (Ikea uses this, which is really just corn syrup), and "evaporated cane juice", which is just sugar and is in many Whole Foodsey snacks.
3
Usually, and this article follows the trend, when the Times covers health & nutrition issues there is a lack of subject fluency on the part of the authors. There is a massive amount of just plain 'sugar' that is being added to food and consumed by uninformed American consumers. Really-?, the author of this article has to call out 'evaporated cane juice' (twice) and 'rice syrup' as the hidden evils in our food supply? There are natural sweeteners that are healthful in reasonable quantities to sweeten, for instance, natural baked goods. Failing to distinguish between sweeteners, their diverse glycemic impacts, and other varying impacts on health does readers a disservice; setting up a paradigm wherein one must choose between unsweetened gruel or sugar- packed food that has a deleterious health impact. That's not the choice. im hoping that the depth and detail found in other NYTimes reporting will find its way to coverage on health, diet, food issues.
2
All the more reason to avoid factory food as much as you can. Grow it yourself. Prepare it yourself. Protect yourself!
1
I'm not surprised at all, because I loathe sweetness in foods that are not desserts or treats: salad dressing (every flavor), spaghetti sauce, savory dips, you name it. Even my local oh-so-natural grocer, with its 17 different varieties of artisan whole-grain bread, offers not a single one without added sweetener.
8
I doubt if much sugar remains in the finished bread; sugar is added to bread primarily to help feed the yeast during preparation.
2
I usually make my own bread. Due to a surgery, I wasn't able to for a couple of weeks. I bought commercial bread, organic, etc. It tasted alot sweeter then my bread, which gets 1 tsp of agave nectar (which is very sweet) added to proof the yeast. I add less or none if I make a yeast bread that has milk, since milk contains lactose. No way did the two loaves (I didn't eat more then a few slices from the second) not have a lot more sugar added. One was a sourdough rye--first time I've tasted a "sweet" sourdough rye.
How about a follow up article looking at the rising rates of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, cancers, and other illnesses possibly linked to this excessive intake of sugar? No one needs--and I imagine most of us don't WANT--all this extra sugar in our food. It's the best argument for getting as far away from processed foods as possible. If only we could figure out a way to convey this to more Americans!
6
Try this one, that in personal communication with the FDA, can be on the ingredients list but still be considered "sugar free": hydrogenated starch hydrosylate. That's double-talk for adding a hydrogen atom on one side of the chemical bond that joins sugars into a starch molecule, then adding an -OH (hydrosylation) on the opposite side of the bond, breaking the starch into two sugar entities in any basic chemistry textbook.
This may be safe for the FDA's attorney, but not safe for a diabetic in tenuous control.
This may be safe for the FDA's attorney, but not safe for a diabetic in tenuous control.
13
Pure maple syrup contains natural sugar, but given its cost and characteristics, is unlikely to be a significant contributor to any unhealthy effects. If I believed that a processed food really contained pure maple syrup, I would be likely to purchase it.
With Vermont relatives operating family "maple sugaring" operations from sap collection to final preparation and sale to end users, I consider maple syrup as healthy a natural food product as any.
Cane syrup, with a small amount of added maple syrup for flavoring, however is entirely different.
With Vermont relatives operating family "maple sugaring" operations from sap collection to final preparation and sale to end users, I consider maple syrup as healthy a natural food product as any.
Cane syrup, with a small amount of added maple syrup for flavoring, however is entirely different.
2
Why do you believe the two types of syrup -- cane versus maple -- are importantly different?
I love the stuff but sugar is sugar. my mom and sister: both type 2 diabetics. my huband, normal weight, works out regularly, hikes. mid 50s, doc just said his sugar levels are above normal. his obese brother, type 2 again. no way are my kids getting syrup-sweetened foods on more than once a week waffles!
"... added sugars are in many products generally thought to be healthy."
So what the author is saying is that any amount of sugar is UNhealthy, a position not supported by any real evidence of which I'm aware.
Many fruits and vegetables, also generally thought to be healthy, contain naturally-occurring sugars - apples, corn, oranges, and strawberries, for example.
"A lot of seemingly natural foods include ingredients like 'apple juice concentrate.' "
I hate to tell Margot this, but apple juice concentrate is a natural product - concentrated, but still natural. It comes out of an apple, not a test tube.
Admittedly, adding sugars can be overdone, but the author's statements undermine her credibility and make her appear to be a propagandist, not an objective voice.
So what the author is saying is that any amount of sugar is UNhealthy, a position not supported by any real evidence of which I'm aware.
Many fruits and vegetables, also generally thought to be healthy, contain naturally-occurring sugars - apples, corn, oranges, and strawberries, for example.
"A lot of seemingly natural foods include ingredients like 'apple juice concentrate.' "
I hate to tell Margot this, but apple juice concentrate is a natural product - concentrated, but still natural. It comes out of an apple, not a test tube.
Admittedly, adding sugars can be overdone, but the author's statements undermine her credibility and make her appear to be a propagandist, not an objective voice.
7
The author is talking added sugars, not naturally occurring sugars.
3
Bob, you'd better re-read the article; you missed the main point.
3
"Added" is such a vague word when discussing processed foods. Does a bag of sugar contain "added" sugar? Does tomato sauce have "added" sugar if they make it out of those little hybrid grape tomatoes?
The food companies will just reformulate so the sugars are inherent to the food category rather than added. Expect raisins with added bran flakes, or date ketchup, etc.
The food companies will just reformulate so the sugars are inherent to the food category rather than added. Expect raisins with added bran flakes, or date ketchup, etc.
2
Sugar industry trolls are busy.
1
I too was horrified by the lists in this article. A consumer cannot be expected to keep all that information in their head while shopping. It's just too difficult. I have emailed the article to my local Member of Parliament (equivalent to a congressman) asking him to forward the information to the relevant authorities in Australia with the aim of including an "added sugar" line on label contents information panels. We too have the problem of obesity and an increasing number of young people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I hope something can come of this effort
13
The list can be simplified by remembering that the suffixes -ose and -ol denote sugar-like substances in chemistry.
5
It's about time. As someone with diabetes, I have been astonished and dismayed by the added sugar in so many processed foods. As this article states, it's very difficult to find food without added sugar. Of course, it's best not to eat processed food, but the reality is that it is hard to do so consistently in today's world. I hope this new regulation motivates food producers to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of sugar they add to food.
10
It's not that difficult to stay away from processed foods. I've done it for years and it's now a habit.
It is not likely to happen because major changes mean jobs, money and consumption--all the things the world revolves around. It has to be up to the individual to cut back, find substitutes or make their own food (which might mean giving up a few hours of ipods, ipads, iphones, tv, etc).
we scream and hollar that jobs are going away and they are, but the reason is that we continually make changes in what we want and so now we have word processors and don't need typewriters. Just imagine how many jobs that elimination cost. People making wire, paint, metal, foundry work, lables of ink ribbons, advertising, printing, paper specialties, and a whole host of other things--and that is just for the disappearance of the typewriter. everytime a product disappears, so do jobs, so don't worry about the sugar in foods, it is up to you to make your life healthier by monitoring what you eat, and not someone just filling the store with things that only diabetics can eat. I sympathize with you, my mother was diabetic and it was a pain helping her find healthy low sugar, sugar free foods that were edible. It can be done though. I'm not being a company apologist---its just practicalities.
we scream and hollar that jobs are going away and they are, but the reason is that we continually make changes in what we want and so now we have word processors and don't need typewriters. Just imagine how many jobs that elimination cost. People making wire, paint, metal, foundry work, lables of ink ribbons, advertising, printing, paper specialties, and a whole host of other things--and that is just for the disappearance of the typewriter. everytime a product disappears, so do jobs, so don't worry about the sugar in foods, it is up to you to make your life healthier by monitoring what you eat, and not someone just filling the store with things that only diabetics can eat. I sympathize with you, my mother was diabetic and it was a pain helping her find healthy low sugar, sugar free foods that were edible. It can be done though. I'm not being a company apologist---its just practicalities.
All this information is incredibly confusing for an educated consumer, never mind the average American who's just trying to grab a quick meal or feed their family on a limited budget.
What would be helpful is some very specific information from a consumer agency as to exactly how many grams of sugar per day we should be striving toward and what sugar is bad versus good (fruit, which also has fiber and other nutrients, had a high sugar content but is it bad for non- diabetics?) For example, the AHA recommends that women have no more than 25 g per day, but that can add up very quickly if you put sugar in your coffee or have fruit in your yogurt in the morning and it's hard to distinguish between good and bad for the average person.
There needs to be a very concerted effort to educate the public about this if we want to make any headway in the fight against obesity.
What would be helpful is some very specific information from a consumer agency as to exactly how many grams of sugar per day we should be striving toward and what sugar is bad versus good (fruit, which also has fiber and other nutrients, had a high sugar content but is it bad for non- diabetics?) For example, the AHA recommends that women have no more than 25 g per day, but that can add up very quickly if you put sugar in your coffee or have fruit in your yogurt in the morning and it's hard to distinguish between good and bad for the average person.
There needs to be a very concerted effort to educate the public about this if we want to make any headway in the fight against obesity.
8
It's a good question, J, but zero grams are what's best. There is no nutritional need for sugar from fruit or any other source. Of course recommending zero grams of sugar won't be accepted by the public.
9
0 grams of added sugar is ideal, but not realistic. Most recipes require adding ingredients together and many need a little extra sugar to get the proper taste. As it is, a recommended value for sugar is quite pointless as everyone is different and requires different amounts based on body weight, exercise, gender, genes, etc. it also won't account for those late night ice cream cravings!
It should be noted however that we need sugar to live- it's the main material cells of all kinds use to get energy for biochemical reactions. It's so important that most organisms actually use energy to use sugar to gain even more energy! The best advice is to be mindful of what we eat and how we use the energy we gain.
It should be noted however that we need sugar to live- it's the main material cells of all kinds use to get energy for biochemical reactions. It's so important that most organisms actually use energy to use sugar to gain even more energy! The best advice is to be mindful of what we eat and how we use the energy we gain.
4
As mentioned by another poster, another big problem is that Americans are not taught to understand metric measurements. How much is four grams of sugar?? How does it help us to know there are four grams of added sugar when we don't know if that means a teaspoon, a tablespoon or half a cup? There should be a public education campaign to help us understand these issues better.
Talk to Sam Sifton & your own Recipes columns: almost every recipe you publish in the NYT calls for added sugar.
"They" turned us all into addicts. Reprise your articles about the "Scientists" at Harvard who were bought by big sugar/agra & shifted blame to fat from sugar, the ole tobacco-fossil fuel ploy -- buy a coupla Scientists and feign equal time, ya know, like Creationism.
Yeah, good luck finding truly sugar-free anything, and often things with listed ingredients, at Whole Foods, Costco, et al.
"They" turned us all into addicts. Reprise your articles about the "Scientists" at Harvard who were bought by big sugar/agra & shifted blame to fat from sugar, the ole tobacco-fossil fuel ploy -- buy a coupla Scientists and feign equal time, ya know, like Creationism.
Yeah, good luck finding truly sugar-free anything, and often things with listed ingredients, at Whole Foods, Costco, et al.
10
Absolutely! And, the claim there is no good science establishing health harms should have the qualifier "in the United States". There are reams of studies about the harm of sugar in Europe and Australia,so much so that Switzerland has officially adopted a form of the Keto "diet" for all persons who are pre-diabetic based on 77 (that's right, 77) studies! We are STILL being told that fat is the enemy.
1
even if you found sugar-free foods, most take awful and you likely wouldn't eat them. It is partly our taste buds and the science of survival. Sweet in the natural world is generally GOOD, sour is usually BAD. Just watch any animal and see what they eat. Does your cat like lemons or sweet cream?
While Big Sugar lobbies to kill these regulations and in its despicable hunt for more profits will harm many uneducated consumers, the more educated public should take it upon itself to educate their less educated brethren about the harmful effects of sugar.
3
It is astonishing how many products contain sugar--even things like sausage. With care one can remain free of added sugar, but it takes eternal vigilance.
Athletes and others engaged in strenuous activity on a regular basis may need sugars as fuel, but there are far better ways to get it than refined sugar additives, even for them. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars, but they also contain fiber which slows down the sugar spikes in the blood stream.
Athletes and others engaged in strenuous activity on a regular basis may need sugars as fuel, but there are far better ways to get it than refined sugar additives, even for them. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars, but they also contain fiber which slows down the sugar spikes in the blood stream.
14
For those of us who have been checking the labels forever, I just look for carbohydrates. Sugar is sugar whether it is natural part of the food or added.
6
All carbohydrates are not sugar. Think vegetables that are grown above ground are needed in a healthy diet but do contain carbs.
3
Not all sugars are the same. Carbohydrates that contain fiber are better for blood glucose levels than sugar additives. This is very important when combating obesity and diabetes.
1
Rosco2, you need to learn about food. All carbs are indeed sugar. The definition of a carbohydrate is "organic compounds that contain single, double, or multiple sugar units."
When we scan data for preventable death these sugars are Olympic Killers, the best of the best. We have been deflecting these outrageous contributors by yelling Opioids, cholesterol, smoke etc...but if we want to save lives we need to insist these added sweeteners be justified additives not used as outlined in the article.
We lose more Americans with these added sugars in month than opioids in several years....and if we were to remove the scandalous level of crime and the billions in law enforcement dollars we see a country right the hell out of focus.
We lose more Americans with these added sugars in month than opioids in several years....and if we were to remove the scandalous level of crime and the billions in law enforcement dollars we see a country right the hell out of focus.
4
Surely the Republicans and Trump will dispense with this new FDA rule on labeling "added sugar," b/c the sugar lobby doesn't like it? Maybe they're not as powerful as the Tobacco lobby...but business is business -- and that's who Repubs cater to. I'll be very pleasantly surprised if it survives.
6
There you go again.
2
I work with refugees from Southeast Asia. They have a high rate of diabetes. There are many people that do not have the language skills and/or education to realize that these store bought processed foods are not what they appear to be. It seems incidious to add ingredients to food that can negatively impact the health of those who purchase it.
9
What!? And give up those "special" brownies? Never.
peanut butter: think peanuts and salt. but no, think sugar too. I surveyed all the peanut butter products at our market and found that ALL included sugar in the ingredients -- even "organic" and "natural" peanut butters. phooey.
7
Make your own peanut butter. Just grind roasted peanuts smooth in either a blender or food processor. You an add just a little bit of vegetable or Canola,corn oil to smooth it out. Peanuts with shells are cheaper than you would think and healthier than the big name brands. Also, some supermarkets sell peanut butter which they grind themselves sans sugar. Check it out.
10
Well, it does have salt, unless you can find it unsalted.
1
The label on Nature's Promise Organic Chunky Peanut Butter states "organic peanuts and sea salt." Nature's Promise is the in house brand for Giant Food of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and DC.
Perimeter shop folks. There is no added sugar in almost all the foods on the perimeter of a store. Try it. Your body will like you. And stay out of the isles. That is where the sugar is.
18
Gazbo, forgive me, I don't know what you mean by 'perimeter'. Please explain as I am sure I am not the only one who doesn't understand.
1
What he means is to shop around the outside of the store - this is where you will find whole foods like fruit & Veg, meat, dairy, eggs, etc. "Shop the perimeter" is just a practical way to describe a whole foods, plant-based diet.
10
The perimeter is where our big supermarket has its deli and bakery, plus the cold case with all the "fresh" OJ, chocolate milk, and sweetened yogurts. And our little neighborhood supermarket has ice cream on its back wall.
I don't think "perimeter shopping" is helpful terminology - it's too dependent on the layout of individual stores. If you mean "less processed," say "less processed."
I don't think "perimeter shopping" is helpful terminology - it's too dependent on the layout of individual stores. If you mean "less processed," say "less processed."
5
Americans are clueless consumers who are more concerned with calories as opposed to what is nutritious! Of course, they are not helped by the money grubbing producers of surgery foods that are detrimental to the good health of consumers!
That's the reason there is so much obesity in the US!
That's the reason there is so much obesity in the US!
6
May not be the only factors. In the US it's far more affordable to buy fast food and processed foods than vegetables fruit dairy and whole grain, which makes the lower economic class ideal candidate for obesity. Most people given the choice will go for the healthy options if only they can afford.
3
Eastbackbay, you are correct. The relative lower cost of processed food is a contributing factor for higher obesity rates among poorer people.
The documentary "Sugarcoated" gives a look "at how the sugar industry sugar coated science" (http://sugarcoateddoc.com/ available on Netflix) and provides an historical perspective, in support of the UNC researchers, as to why "more than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity is similar for both men and women (about 36 percent)" per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
6
Much commercial table salt contains DEXTROSE! Diabetics beware. Perhaps the quantities are minimal, but it's still bizarre they should add a sweetener, on top of the additives designed to make the salt flow.
6
I remember many years ago seeing an ad by the sugar lobby. It said "He (depicting a strapping young, all-American youth) needs less sugar like he needs a hole in the head".
Too bad the tobacco industry didn't think of this: "Smoking is good for you".
Sugar-ridden bread products, which are practically all of them in the U.S., though not in Europe, are particularly awful. It's actually hard to find bread not corrupted by this invidious product. I have to go to Costco to get non-sugar bread; Safeway for example has none of it far as I've determined. Albertson's has only a more or less vapid baguette to offer.
Then there is vomit-inducing, sugar-filled cole slaw and the multitude of other foods contaminated by the sucrose group as mentioned in the article.
This is a very badly needed law which will save U.S. consumers billions of dollars in health costs associated with cavities, diabetes and a host of other sugar-induced maladies. Hurrah.
I recently learned that if we could avoid all sugar products we would all have zero tooth cavities. Imagine that!
Too bad the tobacco industry didn't think of this: "Smoking is good for you".
Sugar-ridden bread products, which are practically all of them in the U.S., though not in Europe, are particularly awful. It's actually hard to find bread not corrupted by this invidious product. I have to go to Costco to get non-sugar bread; Safeway for example has none of it far as I've determined. Albertson's has only a more or less vapid baguette to offer.
Then there is vomit-inducing, sugar-filled cole slaw and the multitude of other foods contaminated by the sucrose group as mentioned in the article.
This is a very badly needed law which will save U.S. consumers billions of dollars in health costs associated with cavities, diabetes and a host of other sugar-induced maladies. Hurrah.
I recently learned that if we could avoid all sugar products we would all have zero tooth cavities. Imagine that!
17
You are absolutely right. Here in New England it is impossible to buy any of the multigrain, whole wheat type breads that has not been sweetened. None of the bakeries, none of the supermarkets. YUK
7
rude man! The tobacco industry certainly DID use that type of marketing. They featured doctors in ads saying a certain kind of cigarette (I've forgotten which one) was "good for your T-zone," the nose and throat. And at least passively, all tobacco ads showed healthy people having more fun while smoking. Just thought you might want to know.
9
The tobacco industry DID boast that cigarettes were good for you in subtle ways, they were 'relaxing', good tasting, etc. Sugar may be hard to give up or reduce but easier than addictive smoking.
4
There is a huge difference between "sugar" vs. "evaporated cane juice" for those who, like me, are sensitive to sweeteners derived from corn. "Sugar" can be made from a lot of sources - corn, cane, beets - and the sources can vary from one batch of product to another. Even "cane sugar" apparently can contain sugar from other sources - I have been made sick by that lack of information on a label.
1
No, I wouldn't "be surprised." I read food labels.
15
Most people in this country have forgotten how to cook for themselves from basic ingredients. The very fact that there are so many aisles of packaged, processed factory foods in every supermarket is testament to this. No one should buy any of that stuff. You can't possibly control your sugar intake - or your salt intake - if you rely on corporate America to feed you. Don't be lazy - learn how to cook!
28
Dear Margot Sanger-Katz,
My name is Kelly Mullusky and I'm writing a letter to you in terms of responding to your article. I agree that it is wrong to add sugars to products sold in supermarkets. I've recently had a nutrition class explaining the dangers of consuming added sugars and to stay away from "high fructose corn syrup". I believe that it's important to focus on adding the new distinguished line between added sugars and total sugars. This will help the people of the United States realize just how bad some of these products really are for your health. Did you know that one teaspoon of sugar is equal to four grams of sugar? The average human is required to consume no more than 10 teaspoons daily. This tells you how much sugar really is in our products; which is sad. Not to mention the benefits of this "added sugar", although not many are present, helps to preserve these products for a longer shelf life. This is why fruit juice can be sold at room temperature-- and on shelves. Then again, juices, mentioned within your article, is a big concern for children; it's said to be mostly sugar ("fruit concentrate" as you stated) and not the good kind. I hope people as well as myself, try and stay away from very sugary products. I want to strive to uphold the "healthy dietary pattern" you had mentioned. Thank you for writing such an exceptional article. I hope your article reaches families who are urged by this terrible concern of added sugars. Have a wonderful day.
My name is Kelly Mullusky and I'm writing a letter to you in terms of responding to your article. I agree that it is wrong to add sugars to products sold in supermarkets. I've recently had a nutrition class explaining the dangers of consuming added sugars and to stay away from "high fructose corn syrup". I believe that it's important to focus on adding the new distinguished line between added sugars and total sugars. This will help the people of the United States realize just how bad some of these products really are for your health. Did you know that one teaspoon of sugar is equal to four grams of sugar? The average human is required to consume no more than 10 teaspoons daily. This tells you how much sugar really is in our products; which is sad. Not to mention the benefits of this "added sugar", although not many are present, helps to preserve these products for a longer shelf life. This is why fruit juice can be sold at room temperature-- and on shelves. Then again, juices, mentioned within your article, is a big concern for children; it's said to be mostly sugar ("fruit concentrate" as you stated) and not the good kind. I hope people as well as myself, try and stay away from very sugary products. I want to strive to uphold the "healthy dietary pattern" you had mentioned. Thank you for writing such an exceptional article. I hope your article reaches families who are urged by this terrible concern of added sugars. Have a wonderful day.
9
"But the sugar industry and the corn refiners are upset. Critics of the policy argue that the difference between natural and added sugars is not nutritionally meaningful, and that the science establishing health harms from added sugar is weak."
That is false, and the "critics" are food-industry fraudsters, not a trustworthy source for any kind of nutritional information. Online sources show that sugars are not all alike; they have differing molecular structures. For example, cane sugar and honey have different structures and are therefore not the same. Cane sugar, however, is much cheaper to produce and is thus the "food" and drink manufacturers' preferred cheap sweetener.
That is false, and the "critics" are food-industry fraudsters, not a trustworthy source for any kind of nutritional information. Online sources show that sugars are not all alike; they have differing molecular structures. For example, cane sugar and honey have different structures and are therefore not the same. Cane sugar, however, is much cheaper to produce and is thus the "food" and drink manufacturers' preferred cheap sweetener.
6
Nothing illustrate more accurately the disastrous effect of added sugar than the recently published information regarding the excellent dental health of ancient Romans.
As the research of ancient Romans living in Pompeii has revealed, the dental hygiene of people living in those times was quite remarkable- despite the fact that they never used toothbrushes or toothpaste. CAT scans taken on 30 ancient inhabitants, preserved in the hardened volcanic ash of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in AD 79 revealed, there was no need for dentists because of this one dietary practice.
The ancients can thank very low levels of sugar in their diets, for their reduced need for dental services. Their diets were surprisingly “balanced and healthy, similar to what we [would] now call the Mediterranean diet.”
Living largely off of fruits and vegetables, low levels of sugar made it possible to forgo brushing.
As the research of ancient Romans living in Pompeii has revealed, the dental hygiene of people living in those times was quite remarkable- despite the fact that they never used toothbrushes or toothpaste. CAT scans taken on 30 ancient inhabitants, preserved in the hardened volcanic ash of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in AD 79 revealed, there was no need for dentists because of this one dietary practice.
The ancients can thank very low levels of sugar in their diets, for their reduced need for dental services. Their diets were surprisingly “balanced and healthy, similar to what we [would] now call the Mediterranean diet.”
Living largely off of fruits and vegetables, low levels of sugar made it possible to forgo brushing.
7
I'm so surprised that people voluntarily put sugar in their tomato sauce or salad dressing. It just shows how addicted to sugar we are. The only place I want sugar is in my dessert!
11
Many fruits and vegetables contain sugar and they count as real food. You have to study what real foods are high in sugars to really control the amount of sugar that you ingest. Important for health and girth.
2
A little bit of sugar, whether it be in the form of cane sugar, agave, or fruit sugar is not bad for your health. The body sees it as all the same thing. It's the quantity you consume that matters. People seem to think that all sugars are bad. Just like salt, a teaspoon of sugar counteracts the acid in a tomato sauce or the bitterness of yogurt.
5
Linda, if you asked any person of Italian heritage if they put sugar in their homemade tomato sauce they would laugh at you. I grew up watching my mother make homemade tomato sauce with tomatoes that had been canned in glass jars in autumn by our family. No sugar ever. I remember salt though. I sure do miss that tomato sauce. The reason that manufacturers have to add sugar to their tomato sauce product is to mask the taste from the rotten tomatoes that have no doubt been included. You CAN get used to food without uneccessary added sugar.
15
Absolutely correct Anna. My Italian family did the same and I process my own tomatoes from my garden and would never dream of putting sugar in the jars. Salt is OK, helps preserve, but even that is not entirely necessary. I don't know if the manufacturers include rotten tomatoes, I sort of doubt that. I just think they think they are enhancing the flavor which can never match what we make at home. Thinking about it now, I'm gonna crack open one of my jars and make me some sauce right now!
2
No Linda. First, it is NOT all the same. More importantly, people who are insulin intolerant are prone to type 2 diabetes. This can be the result of the sugars that have ingested in the past that have damaged the pancreas. For these people, even a little sugar is a problem. There are doctors all over the world who claim you can "cure" insulin resistence by removing all and any sugar from you diet for a year and then can slowly reintroduce "some" once your pancreas is healed. However, for others, a little sugar over a lifetime is no problem. The problem is that our foods are so laced with sugar, it is hard to have only a little.
1
About 10 years ago the last time I shopped a big box grocery store the clerk said to me "wow you're a real chef aren't you?" I was totally taken aback as I was just buying my usual "ingredients" to make my typical meals. In that I usually shop small healthier stores like trader joes and sprouts it didn't occur to me what an oddity I was at a big chain where people typically load up on soda chips cookies snack bars frozen pizza and so on. I buy a few prepared things like gluten free crackers (zero gms of sugar) almond milk and butter and hot sauce. Mostly I just eat real food so no need to read labels.
The thing is I know how to cook and easily put great snacks and meals together and unfortunately I think a lot of people don't have those skills.
The thing is I know how to cook and easily put great snacks and meals together and unfortunately I think a lot of people don't have those skills.
11
You make a good point Secretdreamer. I do as you do but cannot afford Trader Joe's or Whole Foods but my supermarkets here in Massachusetts all have a healthy supply of organic goods. As I shop I cannot help but notice some of what goes into the carts of some people, loaded with fast foods, frozen prepared foods, and the like. More I'm thinking cooking from scratch is sadly becoming a lost art. I sort of understand it since most families have two earners and less time than in time gone by and have lost a true relationship with good food. For that reason I endorse companies like Blue Apron for busy people, which provide all that is needed to put out a decent meal in a brief time. Far better than much of the junk I see in shopping carts.
3
I think Trader Joe's costs the same or less than our grocery stores in Massachusetts. Check it out-I save $ by shopping there..
4
Reading the labels on various foods is real fun. Take Honey Bunches of Oats, the oats are listed as the 4th item behind sugar and the honey is number 15th three places behind salt at 135 mg. It should be called CORN BUNCHES OF SUGAR.
Even the name of the product is a total fraud.
Even the name of the product is a total fraud.
31
As Mark Bittman says, "Eat real food -- mostly vegetables . A little meat."
BTW, on the rare occasions I make tomato sauce, i have never added any sugar beyond what is in the tomatoes and a splash of red wine. No one ever complained about bitterness. Besides, the chopped sweet onion and carrot in your sofritto (mirapoix) should contain enough naturally occurring sugars to balance the flavor.
BTW, on the rare occasions I make tomato sauce, i have never added any sugar beyond what is in the tomatoes and a splash of red wine. No one ever complained about bitterness. Besides, the chopped sweet onion and carrot in your sofritto (mirapoix) should contain enough naturally occurring sugars to balance the flavor.
12
Richard Green, I agree with all you say. That's assuming, of course, that everyone cooks as you (and I) do. Mark Bittman is my guru, I have never cooked one of his recipes that I didn't love.
1
This is not news to me. Oftentimes when I am buying canned goods (garbanzo beans, canned tomatoes for example) many brands list sugar as an ingredient. I always avoid those brands. Ironically, the cheaper house brands are usually the ones without sugar. The best way to avoid or regulate sugars is to make it yourself. Salad dressing for example. Three tablespoons oil, the juice of one lemon and a bit of salt makes a very good and simple dressing with no sugar and no chemicals.
12
I find the lowest added salt and sugar in canned foods in the "ethnic" aisle, the existence of which I find bizarre in a country of such diversity. What does that MEAN, anyway??
8
Every thing you listed is a chemical, oil, lemon juice (acid), and salt if table sodium chloride.
2
Costco has no sugar in their canned beans
I am a sugarcane grower and one of the only producers of sugarcane juice in the US.
"Cane juice" is one of only two juice included in governments list of "words that really just mean 'added sugar.'" This is incorrect and misleading. Our sugarcane juice is made from fresh cut cold pressed sugarcane grown in South Texas and Northern Mexico. It contains potassium and other trace nutrients. It has a sugar content similar to fresh squeezed pineapple juice and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.
If "cane juice" are "words that really just mean 'added sugar'" then so are the words "pomegranate juice," "grape juice," "pomegranate juice" and the words that describe any other type of natural product that includes sugar.
"Cane juice" is one of only two juice included in governments list of "words that really just mean 'added sugar.'" This is incorrect and misleading. Our sugarcane juice is made from fresh cut cold pressed sugarcane grown in South Texas and Northern Mexico. It contains potassium and other trace nutrients. It has a sugar content similar to fresh squeezed pineapple juice and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.
If "cane juice" are "words that really just mean 'added sugar'" then so are the words "pomegranate juice," "grape juice," "pomegranate juice" and the words that describe any other type of natural product that includes sugar.
16
You don't seem to understand how diabetes affects the body. Sugar is sugar. You mention grape juice. When I eat grapes or drink grape juice, or eat "natural " products that contain them, my blood sugar shoots into the stratosphere, as it generally does with any "natural product that contains sugar", including most fruit juices, which are uniformly high in fructose. It's not my choice; I would love to be able to sit down and eat a big slice of apple pie and ice cream (or, more healthily, a pound of grapes) on a regular basis, or drink "natural" (i.e. unsweetened) apple juice by the gallon like I used to. But the risk simply isn't worth it. I'm forced instead to play it safe, and I don't go anywhere near anything containing your cane juice, no matter how innocuous you may think it is. The mere sight of it on a label of ingredients sets off multiple alarm bells for me.
3
I did some further research on this. It's possible the FDA is targeting food manufacturers who use the term "evaporated cane juice" and its variations when in fact what they mean is sugar syrup. You could lobby for more favorable terminology, as others in the ag and food industry have done. However, seeing as how the U.S. sugarcane juice industry is small, you may not get very far.
3
I agree -- there is an oversimplification here. Fresh-pressed sugar cane juice is drunk throughout Southeast Asia as a refreshing beverage on a hot day. It is green and has its own flavor and is certainly not the same as sugared water. As you mention, it contains trace nutrients and that is an important distinction as I imagine it would not cause blood sugar levels to spike as much as refined sugar.
5
Yes, I knew sugar is in bread and pasta sauce and salad dressing because I make those things at home. Sugar balances the acid in pasta sauce and salad dressing, and it activates the yeast in bread. It's not that big a deal if you don't go overboard.
14
Sugarless bread is very difficult to find, but it can be done. After a bit of searching, I managed to find a bread made near where I live that is made with wheat, rye and soy and sweetened with apples rather than sugar. Frankly, I'm tired of it after eating it almost every day for six years; but I don''t feel safe eating any other kind on a regular basis. Ironically, the manufacturer makes a dozen different kinds of whole-grain breads, but this is the only one they make without sugar. Would that there were more baking companies that would look into doing the same.
3
I agree sugar will not kill you if used in small amounts or specifically for desserts and sweets. The problem lies with the hidden sugar in processed foods and restaurants, mostly the cheap chains. And never mind the chemical formulas that masquerade as food in products that people buy and eat every day. As for pasta sauce, sugar is usually used when the tomatoes aren't either canned fresh or ripened on the vine. A sauce made simply with ripe tomatoes, decent olive oil, garlic, and good seasoning doesn't require sugar at all. Nor does a simple vinaigrette of vinegar and oil with some seasoning.
9
Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes six years ago I have become an obsessive reader of packaged food labels (and an eschewer of processed foods, as much as possible). I never ceased to be amazed by the naivete of people who, as the headline of this story implies-- shock!! horror!! -- are surprised to find that their favourite packaged food contains, yes, sugar, in one or another of its multiple possible forms. Come on, people; this is simple self-defense we're talking about here, easy to do. Wake up and pay attention to what you're putting into your body. Don't be like the Whole Foods employee who recently assured me, when I was looking for a sugar-free bread (something not easy to find): " Oh, no worries, this one doesn't contain sugar-- it's sweetened with honey!".
10
So not surprised that tomato sauce is part of the first photo accompanying the article. Any cook knows that even with excellent, garden-ripened tomatoes, tomato sauce can usually require a pinch or two of sugar to neutralize the acidity. Can you even imagine how much sugar would be required to make industrial tomatoes into a palatable sauce? I shudder to think and continue to cook.
I'm also surprised that people wouldn't realize that all those listed terms would be synonyms for sugar. People really need to learn to THINK.
I'm also surprised that people wouldn't realize that all those listed terms would be synonyms for sugar. People really need to learn to THINK.
7
As a former professional chef, I can tell you sugar is not necessary or even desirable in tomato sauces. Simply begin with vine ripe fresh tomatoes or imported canned tomatoes from Italy.
17
'Allo 'Allo!!!
Listen very carefully I shall say this only once: Don't eat processed food.
Listen very carefully I shall say this only once: Don't eat processed food.
25
Easy way to solve this sugar problem : Don't buy processed foods. Make your own food from fresh ingredients.
14
I am not surprised as this information has been documented and released over and over again in the past decade.
Bring back basic home economics classes to elementary schools. Basic comparative shopping, cooking and even growing some of your food should be taught. Also more important is to teach children to think for themselves, listen to their own bodies and not be programmed by the media on what they should be eating or drinking.
We all have that choice. As parents hopefully there is a desire to teach your children about the connection between diet and health. Even though doctors trained in the last 7 decades were not.
We're very good at suspending reality if changing our habits takes up too much time or thought.
Bring back basic home economics classes to elementary schools. Basic comparative shopping, cooking and even growing some of your food should be taught. Also more important is to teach children to think for themselves, listen to their own bodies and not be programmed by the media on what they should be eating or drinking.
We all have that choice. As parents hopefully there is a desire to teach your children about the connection between diet and health. Even though doctors trained in the last 7 decades were not.
We're very good at suspending reality if changing our habits takes up too much time or thought.
14
Given the recent article about an early cancer researcher who found that cancer cells thrived in insulin-rich environments and died when deprived of sugar-rich substances, it's critical that we pay attention to what's in our food and drinks.
When friends from England visited a few years ago one of their first impressions was how sweet the food is in the U.S. It's true - the American palate seems inured to it, and, indeed, crave that taste. Our obesity and diabetes epidemics bear this out - if not, perhaps, the seemingly intractable spread of cancer, which has defied a decades-long "war" in search of a cure. What if, as some researchers suggest, we've been eating ourselves sick all along?
When friends from England visited a few years ago one of their first impressions was how sweet the food is in the U.S. It's true - the American palate seems inured to it, and, indeed, crave that taste. Our obesity and diabetes epidemics bear this out - if not, perhaps, the seemingly intractable spread of cancer, which has defied a decades-long "war" in search of a cure. What if, as some researchers suggest, we've been eating ourselves sick all along?
26
did you know that sugar is in peanut butter and almond butter. it's stupid. it's in nearly everything. of about 20 different variations of chicken broth at whole foods..all but 1 contain sugar. making it more prominent will certainly reduce my time looking for sugar free products. of course I doubt that sugars masquerading by other names will be clearly labelled.
11
It is a good move. It is always surprising to look at something like unsweetened yogurt or even plain milk and see so very many grams of "sugars" which make it look no better than some dessert foods.
6
I think it's a good move, too...but I don't think it will change the labels to which you are referring. Milk naturally contains about 12 grams of sugar (lactose)...it's not "added." Presumably this is also the source of sugar in unsweetened yogurt.
4
I understood that this difference will be on the new labeling: as in "Added Sugar."
4
I buy plain 4% pro-biotic yoghurt in my local Middle Eastern shop. Never fell for the "Greek yoghurt" (loaded with sugar) craze. Sounded so kewl -- till you read the label.
1
The sugar lobby seems to have the FDA in its grip.
4
Jesper Bornoe in Denmark:
"the sugar lobby seems to have the FDA in its grip."
Apparently not since the sugar lobby is definitely not happy with these FDA rules.
"the sugar lobby seems to have the FDA in its grip."
Apparently not since the sugar lobby is definitely not happy with these FDA rules.
8
Not at all surprised. My daughter was diagnosed with high insulin resistance not long ago and so we changed our diet to eliminate sugar and fat as much as possible. Reading ingredients as a matter of course now we are shocked at how many food items have added sugar (and salt). It is a hidden drug that many people are probably hooked on without even being aware of it. Considering the world-wide increase in diabetes, it is clear that something needs to be done. I suggest that manufacturers should have to make the fact that the item contains added sugar much clearer on the front of the packaging, instead of burying it in the ingredients, which can be very difficult to read if your near vision has started to deteriorate (common in older people). Cereals are probably the worst offenders! The best course of defense is try to eat unprocessed foods as much as possible. If it comes in a box or a packet, beware!
5
Why low fat?
"Most doctors (erroneously) believe that increase fat intake makes you insulin resistant. This might be true if you consume high amounts of fat in the presence of high amounts of carbohydrates (especially sugar), but when carbohydrate intake is reduced, all the fat in the world does not lead to insulin resistance."
http://eatingacademy.com/how-low-carb-diet-reduced-my-risk-of-heart-disease
"Most doctors (erroneously) believe that increase fat intake makes you insulin resistant. This might be true if you consume high amounts of fat in the presence of high amounts of carbohydrates (especially sugar), but when carbohydrate intake is reduced, all the fat in the world does not lead to insulin resistance."
http://eatingacademy.com/how-low-carb-diet-reduced-my-risk-of-heart-disease
2
Please do not eliminate fat! Fat can help regulate blood sugar. Olive oil, avocado, peanut butter, almonds, fatty fish, are all very healthful in moderation, help blood sugar, and help your body absorb nutrients from produce, too.
3
First, let me thank you for saying "healthful" instead of "healthy". You and I must be some of the lone dinosaurs who love our language and don't ape the latest media distortion.
Yes, yes, yes. There's "good" fat and the other kind. The foods you listed are among the "good" fat foods.
Yes, yes, yes. There's "good" fat and the other kind. The foods you listed are among the "good" fat foods.
1
What counts is the amount of sugar. I toss in a tsp of sugar to a pot of tomato sauce when I make it in the summer from fresh tomatoes. That is not the same as 2 tsp in every cup of coffee (what I did in college). Or, the obscene amount in cans of soda. Reading labels carefully does make a difference. Also, if it tastes too sweet, it undoubtedly is!
10
If you put your tomato sauce on a low simmer for about an hour, it will temper the acidity without adding sugar. It will also taste much better. Little secret from my Italian grandmom…
16
I'm glad to see this written about, and to have the lists of sugar codes. I'll bet that many people have noticed how sweet previously not-sweet processed foods are. Salad dressing, for instance. I've given up buying bottled dressing because they all taste so sweet. So does tomato sauce and soups, crackers...
I have always wondered why people think snack bars are healthy. They're just another type of candy! I didn't know about concentration juices, though. Bummer. What happens to all the actual fruit? Down the drain?
I just don't buy many processed foods anymore, because they're not healthy, there's always sugar added to the most unlikely things, and sugar added to things that should taste citrusy, tart, and so on, taste rotten with sugar.
I have always wondered why people think snack bars are healthy. They're just another type of candy! I didn't know about concentration juices, though. Bummer. What happens to all the actual fruit? Down the drain?
I just don't buy many processed foods anymore, because they're not healthy, there's always sugar added to the most unlikely things, and sugar added to things that should taste citrusy, tart, and so on, taste rotten with sugar.
16
I've become a label reader and look forward to this change. Every little bit of info helps, especially in products containing milk. I avoid sweetened yogurts and the obvious stuff, but was shocked to walk down the bread aisle and see how many "whole wheat" varieties have sugar as the second ingredient. It was a challenge to find a brand that at least had sugar farther down the list.
13
First world problem I know, but every time I am back in the US I despair in the bread aisle since I am never able to find a single packaged bread without added sweetener.
5
Try Ezekiel, made from sprouted whole grains - available at Trader Joes and Whole Foods.
4
I recommend Ezekiel too. It's organic in addition to what Sherry said. You'll find it in the frozen section. I do love Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but fwiw you can find Ezekiel bread in the "regular" supermarkets too. I've seen it in Giant, Kroger, etc.
4
WAtch the cook books too. A friend and I once compared a new cook book to one that was 40 years old - same authors. The amount of sugar and salt has been greatly increased in the same recipes. Where the old one asked for 1 cup of sugar the new one demanded 2 cups in the same recipe. Sounds like the sugar industry was in on it.
17
In addition to the sugar part of the carbohydrate equation, highly processed starches also must be avoided, since your body converts them to sugar with relative ease. Add 'modified food/corn starch' and all highly refined flours to your list of things to avoid as additives to control blood sugar.
As for 'whole grain breads' look to see how much fiber is actually in there, and also check for added sugars. If a whole grain slice has 12 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber, that is little better than white bread, with 15 grams carbs., 1 gram fiber. The bar to label as 'whole' wheat is, evidently, quite low.
As for 'whole grain breads' look to see how much fiber is actually in there, and also check for added sugars. If a whole grain slice has 12 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber, that is little better than white bread, with 15 grams carbs., 1 gram fiber. The bar to label as 'whole' wheat is, evidently, quite low.
12
The ubiquity of added sugar is not the result of some sneaky effort by food manufacturers to increase our dietary sugar intake. It is there because sweet foods sell better.
Labeling will not reduce buyers' preference for sweet foods. Increasing preference for less-sweet food requires dietary changes very early in life.
Labeling will not reduce buyers' preference for sweet foods. Increasing preference for less-sweet food requires dietary changes very early in life.
11
I fully agree. However, if we wish to foster a preference for less-sweet foods, it would be easier to make purchasing decisions if we understand how much sweetening has been added to a particular food.
11
Thanks! This one article I have saved for future reference!
3
"Added sugar" is a fake concept without scientific basis. Sugar is sugar is sugar. When you ingest it, your body processes it, and it doesn't interview the sugar about its life history prior to being ingested. Every food label already has a line telling you exactly how much sugar is in it.
8
That's true but I can think of times I learned from it. Yogurt for example: it was interesting for me to check the difference in amount of sugars between the unsweetened and sweetened. The unsweetened had a line for "sugars". I don't worry about naturally occurring sugars since I'm not diabetic but I suppose they put that on the label for those with dietary restrictions. I also wonder if there is truth to the theories that the body will digest sugars more slowly depending on what they are consumed with (like fats) which slow down digestion which would belie the adage "sugar is sugar" when it comes to blood sugar spikes. I'd like to see some (good) research on that.
3
Don't our bodies process refined sugar differently?
2
Whether or not the body processes sugar differently, in the end, as another commenter said: sugar is sugar is sugar. It makes absolutely no difference to your body in the end if you consumed honey instead of granulated sugar in your tea, or raw sugar or any other kind of distinction between sugars. It's sugar.
6
Actually it is fairly easy to know which foods contain added sugar...if it's in a jar like the photo, it probably has added sugars. If it is found in the produce aisle, at the fish or meat counter, it does not.
32
Sugar is addictive. We all need to be educated and labeling would help.
10
Not entirely true. While the majority of processed foods do have additional sugar, not all do. One check and you know which brands do and which do not. It's not that complicated. Most people do need to have at least some shelf stable foods.
2
I have written to the F.D.A to plead for the amount of sugar to be listed as teaspoons in addition to or instead of grams. How many people know that 4 grams is equal to approximately 1 teaspoon? Most of my college educated friends had so clue about this and I'm sure most Americans don't. This would make so much sense and I believe it would greatly reduce the sugar consumption in our country.
19
The problem is that different forms of sugars (rock sugar, table sugar, high fructose corn syrup) have different densities. A teaspoon of fine grain table sugar will have a different amount of sugar than a teaspoon of rock sugar or a teaspoon of HFCS.
As for "your college educated friends" who have no clue about metric systems of measurement -- that's ridiculous and appalling. Metric systems are standard and used in all basic science courses. Metric systems are far easier to work with, and our insistence upon sticking with English systems of measurement, when virtually the entire world has switched to metric (except for those economic powerhouses, Liberia and Burma) is a disgrace that costs the US billions.
As for "your college educated friends" who have no clue about metric systems of measurement -- that's ridiculous and appalling. Metric systems are standard and used in all basic science courses. Metric systems are far easier to work with, and our insistence upon sticking with English systems of measurement, when virtually the entire world has switched to metric (except for those economic powerhouses, Liberia and Burma) is a disgrace that costs the US billions.
6
And at 4 calories per gram, that teaspoon of sugar is 16 calories, give or take.
Sixteen calories.
Sixteen calories.
Sixteen calories.
A little perspective, please.
Sixteen calories.
Sixteen calories.
Sixteen calories.
A little perspective, please.
I copied and pasted the words for sugar, printed them out, and taped them to my refrigerator.
9
Great idea. Better yet - use a generic term such as "sweetener" and then put it in parentheses. That being said, tomato sauce needs it to cut down on the acidity of the sauce....having made it homemade a bunch of times.
There is absolutely no reason to add sugar to tomato sauce. Made it many times as well. No one in our family has ever done this either.
10
@Denise: you can make sauce without sugar, but it won't taste the same. Your tastes may differ from others.
The sugar cuts the acid in the tomatoes and balances the acidity in the tomato sauce.
The sugar cuts the acid in the tomatoes and balances the acidity in the tomato sauce.
1
I had a serious heart attack at age 61 back at the beginning of April. My parents are both 90; all 4 grandparents lived into their late 80's & early 90's. I figured I had the genes that would keep me safe. This was despite the fact that over the last 25 years, I had gained 60 lbs, didn't exercise enough, had borderline high blood pressure, was at the upper limit of "safe" cholesterol levels. In other words, I had multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease. My GP would tell me each year at my annual physical to lose weight & get more exercise. And I didn't do anything about it. I kidded myself into thinking I was eating healthy. I had plenty of salads, ate plenty of fish and poultry & didn't eat red meat, & ate plenty of fruit. But I also used bottled salad dressing & pre-cooked turkey on those salads. I ate canned fish, "diet" ice cream bars & boxed breakfast cereal; just way too much processed food. I also ate out a lot. Well, when I got out of the hospital in April, I started scrutinizing what I had been eating, & really read the labels & did the math. I was shocked at the amounts of sugar & salt I was eating in the processed foods that made up half of my diet. And finally, because I had almost died, & was looking at a dramatically shortened life as a result of my heart attack, I have started paying attention. As others have said in their comments, the key is getting back to natural food & cooking it yourself. I'm doing that now and feel so much better.
57
Can we please not scare people about added sugar in infant formula? Breast milk has sugar. Babies need sugar.
11
OK. fine, so how about directing your efforts to companies/employers who refuse to accommodate mothers' breast-feeding requirements!!! Still a lot of arrogance/ prejudice out there. And don't end with the misleading "Babies need sugar"; instead emphasize: "Babies need the kind of sugar that is in mother's milk".
3
Use to know a teacher who would always consume foods high in sugar and processed junk everyday. When questioned he told us that he found the nutritional labels to complicated and time consuming to read. Years down the road he developed diabetes and he is trying to learn to eat healthier now. Most people lack the basic understanding of nutrition, I suggest everyone to read reviews and learn the basics here, http://goo.gl/NrzYXq. The thing to do is to make food yourself. It's okay to occasionally overeat sugar but everything in moderation. Most things can be prevented by understanding things earlier on.
38
No food causes Type 2 diabetes.
It is a disease of the endocrine system. It is highly heritable and runs in families. It mostly occurs in older folks -- most victims are over 60.
Your teacher did not get diabetes because he bought cheap spaghetti sauce!!!!
It is a disease of the endocrine system. It is highly heritable and runs in families. It mostly occurs in older folks -- most victims are over 60.
Your teacher did not get diabetes because he bought cheap spaghetti sauce!!!!
1
If people would stop being so lazy and cook from scratch they wouldn't have to concern themselves with labels and added sugar. I have virtually no food in my house that comes from a box or can. I have control over what I eat. It takes about a minute or two to make your own salad dressing. I would rather die than eat jarred spaghetti sauce. Take control of your diet people.
23
You do realize cooking from scratch requires not only the knowledge of how to cook (which, yes, might be "easy" to obtain but still takes time) but also the resources to buy ingredients that are typically found in organic markets, which are more expensive and aren't often found in poor neighborhoods, right? Diet is directly affected by income, and patronizing to people who don't have the time to cook a fresh, healthy meal every day is counterproductive and problematic.
14
That is incredible nonsense. You can make a healthy meal without going to some overpriced market with organic this and that. Furthermore, convenience foods are expense, because they provide convenience. People don't have time? How long does it take to mix oil and vinegar? It takes considerably less time than going to the store, and buying those sugar laden and disgusting bottled dressings. If adults don't possess the basic self help skill of feeding themselves, then their parents have truly failed in their upbringing.
30
Well said.
3
Here's to things hopefully being less sweet! I find many processed foods, including sauces, to be just too sweet. Perhaps that's because I stopped drinking soda decades ago. If things were less sweet, people's tastes would adjust.
23
So true...Eating a pastry in Europe has so much less of a refined sugar taste than a similar pastry here for example. Recipes here cater to American need for sugar - another example: a cupful of white sugar plus 1/2 cup brown sugar in a cake or cookies - yuk!
7
It is distressing to watch what people buy at the supermarket. Gatorade, "juice drink" a bottle of Pepsi..(all in one basket..I was just there).. Our population is duped, misinformed and poisoned by our food industry. Until we learn to stop buying their junk, nothing will really change.
38
For most of what you eat if it tastes sweet it has sugar grams.
Sweet tasting fruit (apples, strawberries, watermelon) and juices have natural sugar.
Cereals which are sweet have added sugar.
It's not good for you, but they say the natural sugar is better.
Sweet tasting fruit (apples, strawberries, watermelon) and juices have natural sugar.
Cereals which are sweet have added sugar.
It's not good for you, but they say the natural sugar is better.
2
My Chobani-addicted diabetic sister told me that Chobani doesn't contain sugar. I read the ingredients and asked her what she thought "evaporated cane juice" was. She shrugged and quickly went back to claiming it doesn't contain sugar.
That is not ignorance: it is wilful ignorance, which I think is very common.
That is not ignorance: it is wilful ignorance, which I think is very common.
98
The problem is that people don't care. They will only care, if they hear it from medical professionals, which they will not, given everyone who has a voice are in the pockets of the very multi nationals that are responsible for this, and since it's an addictive substance, it keeps them coming back for more. Since the consequences are not clearly spelled out, we continue to get this dangerous, money making spiral, which only benefits various businesses, those being food product manufacturers, big pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and eventually funeral homes. Yeah, death is profitable.
12
Why did you report "Critics of the policy argue that the difference between natural and added sugars is not nutritionally meaningful" without asking nutritional scientists if this critique has merit? The scientists would have told you the critique is wrong: natural sugars bound in fiber are metabolized much more slowly than added sugars, resulting in a lower glycemic index and much less chance of contributing to metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes.
53
Most packaged foods at Whole Foods contain added sugar. Just because you bought it at Whole Foods or it's organic, it does not mean that it is healthy.
33
One example of food sold at WFM with added sugar is dried cranberries. I tried to calculate how much sugar is added, and came up with almost 2 tablespoons of sugar added to a 1/4 cup serving of dried cranberries. I don't think their other dried fruit with added sugar -- which is most of their dried fruit -- is much better. And guess what: dried fruit by itself is mostly sugar. Moreover, most of their dried fruit also contains added oil as well. So not a very "healthy" snack at all. I can't wait to see how much sugar is added to their dried fruits. And to all other processed fruits as well.
15
Another change we need in labeling is rounding to the nearest half gram. Did you know that some diet sodas have a bit less than a half gram of sugar per serving? This may only add up to 4 calories per can, but it can be hard on a person with diabetes. Similar problems exist with saturated fats and trans fats. For example, powdered coffee creamer is loaded with trans fats, yet it says it has 0 grams for the teeny serving size they assume.
16
Nothing wrong with sugar. People just eat too much of it.
16
So much judgement here. The sugar industry launched a secret PR campaign forty years ago to convince the public that sugar was just fine, even healthy, and that FAT was the evil in food. They maligned and discredited one of the leading scientists sounding the alarm about sugar, and bought people like Dr. Fredrick Stare, founder of the Department of Nutrition at HARVARD’s School of Public Health. Stare became a spokesman for the Sugar Association in the early 1970s. He appears on several media outlets defending sugar as a staple in the American diet. Big Sugar deflected all threats to its multi-billion dollar empire, while adding sugar to the world's food supply.
Given the onslaught of misinformation and misdirection directed at the public by SCIENTISTS hired by the sugar industry for decades (which gave rise to the low-fat craze, a public health debacle), how can you judge the common person so harshly? It's just so easy to lay all the blame at the feet of the general public -- which has been another key tactic of the tobacco and sugar industries. It's so pathetic to read so many arrogant, high-minded, self-righteous comments on this thread ...
Given the onslaught of misinformation and misdirection directed at the public by SCIENTISTS hired by the sugar industry for decades (which gave rise to the low-fat craze, a public health debacle), how can you judge the common person so harshly? It's just so easy to lay all the blame at the feet of the general public -- which has been another key tactic of the tobacco and sugar industries. It's so pathetic to read so many arrogant, high-minded, self-righteous comments on this thread ...
34
If self righteousness means a willingness to educate yourself and be aware of whats going down your throat then Im all for it. .Here's the problem: we live in a society where the majority of people are lazy and apathetic and can't be bothered to actually READ anything. Whether its the newspaper or food labels. Yes, I will judge my fellow man harshly especially since we are all footing the bill for type 2 diabetics, cigarette smokers and alcoholics.Such a lack of personal responsibility.
2
"Critics of the policy argue that the difference between natural and added sugars is not nutritionally meaningful …." Of course it's nutritionally meaningful. If you know the sugar on your diet has adverse health effects and you are attempting to reduce your sugar intake as much as possible while still eating reasonably natural foods, you want to know if sugar was unnecessarily added to food. That way it's possible for consumers to demonstrate a preference for low-added-sugar foods in the marketplace.
17
The new policy will give sugar companies and corn processors, who are critical of it, a golden opportunity to increase sales by highlighting the 'strong' research demonstrating the direct health benefits of consuming the sugary additives they sell. No wait, there is none. Nada. Zippo. Zero. Absolutely none.
4
I am retired in a small town in Andalusia. Here the restaurants have small bottles of local olive oil and vinegar on the tables. Although you can find some bottles of processed salad dressings in the stores, there's generally a bigger selection of olive oils and vinegars, as far as I know with no sugars added. Fresh seafood is a big part of the local diet and you see a lot of locally grown fresh vegetables and fruit for sale. In my bad Spanish, I once asked if pesticides or chemical fertilizers were used by the local farmers. Once the person understood what I was asking, he gave me a look like I was an idiot, and asked if I really thought the poor farmers had money for 'pesticidas'? Maybe the relative lack of processed foods and healthy Mediterranean diet are big factors in Spanish life expectancy being in the top five long-living countries in the World. Letting us see what's in the food we eat is a good step forward to helping us move to a healthier national diet.
32
This is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done. With people as busy as they are, most have to rely on at least SOME processed foods (I don't know how many single mothers, for example, have time to make their own bread, ketchup, salad dressing, etc.). MOST kids eat some of the food in the school cafeteria, don't they? MOST people eat at restaurants at least occasionally. The nation's food supply STANDARDS need to be addressed. Many foreigners who come to the US cannot stand to eat our "disgustingly" sweet foods. Yes, even innocent staples like bread, ketchup, yogurt, tomato sauce, and meats! We can put the onus on the individual to make everything from scratch (conveniently ignoring the fact that the lifestyle most lead that is not particularly conducive to cooking everything from scratch), but a better approach would be to address the basic TAINTED food supply with a tax on added sugars. After all, you don't see this slop served in most other countries...and their citizens are all the healthier for it!
30
Can we stop using the single mom trope when it comes to diet & nutrition? Most people are not single moms. The obese people at the grocery store are not all single moms. I'm a single mom. I do make a lot of stuff from sctrach & we rarely eat ketchup because we rarely eat the foods that go with like chicken nuggets & fries. Taxing sugar would not help because if many of these foods didn't have added sugar, salt & fat they would taste like cardboard. So you'd just have people paying more for sugary foods. We don't grow enough fruits & vegetables for every person in America to meet their daily allowance of fruit & vegetables. That's scary. We need to changing farming if we want to change food, diet & nutrition.
10
@Brooke: I agree except that you say "we don't grow enough fruits & veggies" to feed the nation.
ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE -- we grow mountains and mountains of the stuff, and throw tons of it away daily. There is no shortage of fruits & veggies in the USA.
ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE -- we grow mountains and mountains of the stuff, and throw tons of it away daily. There is no shortage of fruits & veggies in the USA.
3
The best diet advice possible: Make it yourself. After work treat yourself to lollipops, fudge, caramel ice cream, triple chocolate cupcakes and funnel cake. But...make it yourself.
See, no one would do that.
Processed, "center aisles of the supermarket" foods, are loaded with sugar, salt and fat. The birth of processed foods has dramatically altered the way we eat. As this article points out, store bought tomato sauce is packed with sugar. But, make it at home and the sugar is greatly reduced. Homemaking most of your foods, when possible (life happens!), will cut your sugar intake way down. And some foods-- funnel cake, fudge -- are just so hard or messy to make that following this rule you won't eat them anyways.
See, no one would do that.
Processed, "center aisles of the supermarket" foods, are loaded with sugar, salt and fat. The birth of processed foods has dramatically altered the way we eat. As this article points out, store bought tomato sauce is packed with sugar. But, make it at home and the sugar is greatly reduced. Homemaking most of your foods, when possible (life happens!), will cut your sugar intake way down. And some foods-- funnel cake, fudge -- are just so hard or messy to make that following this rule you won't eat them anyways.
14
To really know what you are eating, buy raw ingredients and cook them yourself. The "food scientists" who create packaged foods will always find a way around regulations and make their concoctions seem harmless or even "healthy." Then, if you want to add more sugar or salt to the foods you cook, at least you know what you are doing.
6
Why don't the food companies label the sugar amount by the package and not on daily caloric intake or portion size ? Wouldn't that be easier so the consumer can decide. Or would that not be deceiving enough so the food companies can load more sugar-drug in our foods?
3
just do the math
3
That's the best idea I've read this morning. Labels now are aimed at deception. The latest trend I've noticed, is that companies make the serving size different from the individually packed portions; so you get 5 servings in a box that contains 2 individual packs!
4
The article is interesting but the illustration is puzzling to me. Pasta sauces generally have sugar in them and the sugar that is in the sauce that I regularly eat (Classico) clearly labels the ingredient (sugar) and contains the amount of sugar in the list of nutritional items. There is nothing misleading about the labeling so it seems to me that this is an inappropriate photograph for this article.
3
Tomatoes are fruit and contain naturally occurring sugars. Line item 'Sugar' on the old nutrition label is all sugars, both the naturally occurring - AND the ADDED sugars, which are what you see listed in the ingredients list. The new nutrition label is attempting to clear up this confusion on what is already present in individual ingredients and what is added as an independent ingredient.
8
Unfortunately, the labels are still in grams, and percentages are based on 2,000 calories. Few Americans should be eating 2,000 calories a day. It's too much for older adults, children, sedentary people, the sleep deprived, and most nonpregnant women. That's most of the population. When is this going to be addressed?
23
they LOVE to list in grams, which are meaningless in the US. grams sound like so MUCH - but it takes 28.35 to make an ounce. most people have no idea of what an ounce even looks like, and rationalize eating way more as it seems so little compared to how big they themselves are.
1
We've been putting sugar into our food as long as we discovered sugar- or the equivalent of sugar in any given part of the world. Any chef or cook knows for a good balance of taste, a little bit of sugar to, say, a tomato sauce cuts down on acidity and brings out the other flavors... but the key words are a LITTLE BIT. These food scientists, who are scientists in the truest sense of the word, experiment, manipulate, and add more sugar, salt, and preservatives to pickle, well, pretty much everything pre-packaged in a grocery. Our food in America is just so manipulated it's unreal. I've lived in South Korea and Germany and I was surprised that all of my stomach issues disappeared while in both places. I realize it's anecdotal, but in both places they have real regulations on food and making things from "scratch" with fresh ingredients are the norm and not the exception. I really try to cook. I'm also a normal, busy American who falls into the same "quick and easy" trap, I'm no better or worse, but as a society we have to change, for our children's sake, and I have to start with me. Here we go...
21
Skimming through the comments section on this or almost any other article touching on health/diet issued, one realizes how many people use this as a forum for self-congratulation rather than for engaging in meaningful dialogue.
55
The comments that sugar is poisonous to the body are just hyperbolically egregious scientific ignorance. Sugar()s are essential to human physiology and normal bodily functioning. You would die without them and, in fact, would not even be here without them.
Too much of certain kinds can most certainly have adverse effects on health, of course, but statements that they are "poison" bespeaks a level of scientific ignorance that is nothing short of astonishing.
"Deleterious", perhaps. "Harmful", maybe. But "poison"? Ludicrous.
Too much of certain kinds can most certainly have adverse effects on health, of course, but statements that they are "poison" bespeaks a level of scientific ignorance that is nothing short of astonishing.
"Deleterious", perhaps. "Harmful", maybe. But "poison"? Ludicrous.
5
Agree, but it's not an unwise regimen to avoid all sugared products.
I do, and find I don't miss dark chocolate, ice cream, and pies.
I do, and find I don't miss dark chocolate, ice cream, and pies.
1
Whatever floats your boat.
2
Refined sugars are absolutely poison.
3
It boils down to two camps. Those that want to avoid products with added sugar, and those that don't want their products avoided so they keep their product labels obscure.
5
The industry exposes its morality when it objects to even LABELING.
When did information become a bad thing?
When did information become a bad thing?
12
Actually it is very easy to figure out how much sugar is in packaged foods —just read the nutritional label. Even without the new changes, labels tell you how many grams of sugar a product has. I am an avid label reader and can attest that it is simple to understand them. And anybody who reads the NY Times should certainly be able to read a label.
10
I thought it was common knowledge by now that anything from Kraft Foods, Nestle, General Mills, Unilever, PepsiCo and the like are to be strenuously avoided.
7
At a "southern style" BBQ I overheard a friend from a small Mediterranean island say " everything here is sweet! Why do Americans put so much sugar on their food?!" Can you imagine what a buffet of BBQ baked beans, saucy ribs, cornbread, sweet tea, etc tasted like to someone who eats mostly fish and vegetables seasoned with mostly salt, olive oil, and lemon? BBQ is a rare treat but I often think of him when I'm preparing meals. WWTIE? ( what would the Italian eat? )
10
Please check your judgment at the door. Most American families do not have the time to prepare meals from scratch or they do not live close to a grocery store that can provide fresh (and affordable) vegetables, fruits, meats, etc. Good for you if you grew up in a household where junk food was nonexistent or you currently feed your children with the best possible ingredients.
The FDA should be applauded for giving many more citizens the information they need to make more informed decisions. Given the 2018 start date, this will also give large companies a brief head start in reformulating their products once "added sugars" are more prominently listed. It will also enable grocery retailers to incentivize vendors to modify their ingredient lists for natural food aisles.
People don't feign ignorance or willingly eat the 'wrong' foods. People are people - aspiring to eat well but prone to what is more accessible, comforting, or affordable. Let's applaud an effort to gravitate dollars and preferences toward a slightly healthier diet.
The FDA should be applauded for giving many more citizens the information they need to make more informed decisions. Given the 2018 start date, this will also give large companies a brief head start in reformulating their products once "added sugars" are more prominently listed. It will also enable grocery retailers to incentivize vendors to modify their ingredient lists for natural food aisles.
People don't feign ignorance or willingly eat the 'wrong' foods. People are people - aspiring to eat well but prone to what is more accessible, comforting, or affordable. Let's applaud an effort to gravitate dollars and preferences toward a slightly healthier diet.
12
After the Google flap about alleged bias, does including a link to what the sugar industry wants consumers to hear (and they don't want consumers to hear anything else!) up the Times' "conservative" credibility?
I see the sugar industry's point: is there really a significant difference between "natural" sugar and "added" sugar? Let's say you have a cracker that contains so many grams of sugar. How much of that is considered "added"? Crackers don't appear in nature, so isn't all of it added? This article leaves me with more questions than answers.
5
Others look at the information and data and make different conclusions about added sugar versus natural sugars in their diet. At the end of the day, how can labeling accurately be a bad thing? People are still free to choose, but with more information.
2
I would also like to know if there is a difference in the physiological effect of added vs. "natural" sugar; obviously, this would differ for different types of foods. Some experts say, for example, the fructose in an apple is okay because it is accompanied by the fiber in an apple, which slows absorption of that sugar. Does that make the huge amount of added sugar in bran type cereals okay, then? Can I eat high fiber bread to lessen the glycemic effect of my gummy candy? This whole sugar issue is complex and full of misdirection on many fronts.
1
@nyer: My main issue is how to define "added" sugar. For example, let's say you have strawberry flavored yogurt which contains 95% yogurt, 5% strawberries, and nothing else. Would the sugar contained in the strawberries be considered "added"? It was made by nature, but then again it wasn't originally in the yogurt. Cases like that suggest to me that to a certain extent calling a sugar "natural" or "added" is rather arbitrary.
Isn't this a matter of degree? Any cook knows that occasionally a dish needs a small amount of sugar to round out rough edges or pull together an acidic sauce. If it doesn't taste sweet, it's unlikely to be unhealthy; and if it does, you know you should be moderate. It's not rocket science.
2
Finally! I am so tired of everything tasting so sweet.
17
This should be so helpful for diabetics. It's amazing that it wasn't required long ago.
8
It's easy. Buy fresh ingredients and make everything you want to eat. If in doubt, read the label if it's in a jar or can or box. Bene vivere!
8
Thank you, Mrs. Obama, for continuing to fight to help us lead healthy lives.
20
For several generations, the food manufactures have been fine tuning what food taste, people like. Duh, salt and sugar/fructose, has been the main driver. All the fat people is proof they got it right.
12
Moderation in all things.
6
Complete government overreach. Making the information readily available is good. Making rules and laws about it is bad. Period.
Harvey, years ago, the absence of seat belts in cars significantly contributed to the severity of injuries and deaths associated with car accidents. So, by your reasoning, it was good for the government to publicize this problem, but it was bad overreach for the government to start requiring car manufacturers to provide seat belts in cars.
5
But this is making information available – – that's all it is! You say that's OK, so what's the problem? The government is not telling you which product to choose off the shelf.
4
Rules and laws are needed because the food companies won't make the information readily available otherwise, unfortunately.
3
I don't understand why the emphases on added sugars. Sugar is a problem whether it's an inherent ingredient, like in fruit juice, which I very rarely drink, or whether it's added, like it Yoplait, which is a special treat in our house.
I wonder if people will really be surprised to know what organic dehydrated cane juice is sugar. It's extremely obvious to me, and I'm no food scientist. But again, I simply look a the sugar line of the ingredients list.
Hopefully adding the "added sugars" category won't lead people to believe that inherent sugars are A-OK.
I wonder if people will really be surprised to know what organic dehydrated cane juice is sugar. It's extremely obvious to me, and I'm no food scientist. But again, I simply look a the sugar line of the ingredients list.
Hopefully adding the "added sugars" category won't lead people to believe that inherent sugars are A-OK.
4
The new labels should be really helpful for dairy. How much of the sugar in yogurt is just lactose and how much is added sucrose or HFCS?
1
Too many packaged food items use unrealistically small serving sizes to mask the amounts of fat, sodium, and sugar in their products. Unless companies are forced to label packaging to account for how much consumers are actually eating in one sitting, any labeling changes will be incomplete.
12
More realistic serving sizes will be required by the new labeling regulations.
8
Barry asked me whether it's ok to single out brands "germane".
It's not the highest journalistic integrity, especially in the age of sponsored content, if the brand example does not clarify the analysis. The example raises questions and comments about brands. A list of common foods - some worse and more to the point than the cited brand, like cereal - might have more clearly expressed the sugar label point. That Chobani kids label illustrates the worst of issues around children's food labels, but it doesn't explain them. All the food that's fit to print?
It's not the highest journalistic integrity, especially in the age of sponsored content, if the brand example does not clarify the analysis. The example raises questions and comments about brands. A list of common foods - some worse and more to the point than the cited brand, like cereal - might have more clearly expressed the sugar label point. That Chobani kids label illustrates the worst of issues around children's food labels, but it doesn't explain them. All the food that's fit to print?
This is a wonderful development. But we need to go further. Sugar should be demonized in America. It's literally poison to our bodies. It should be rated along the lines of tobacco and alcohol in terms of health consequences when consumed beyond moderation.
10
Those of us who avoid processed foods don't have to look at the labels.
32
Tom, so you live on a farm? MANY items in a standard grocery store are not processed if you confirm at the label. A bottle of vinegar is most likely fine but still one should still check the label to see it isnt. Methinks you eat lots of things that are processed and pretend to otherwise. What happens when you go to a restaurant? You can be sure they are opening cans of something in the kitchen.....
2
Public policy initiatives -- such as nutritional labeling -- are, however, important to those of us who occupy a lower plane.
9
Yes, that is what i think when I read yet another article about nutrition! Thank you!
1
1. Bottles of salad dressing are even worse than pasta sources for amounts of sugar in them. I make my own these days.
2. Diced tomatoes in the can from any of the major makers are filled with corn syrup. Very frustrating. There is no reason for sugar to be in diced tomatoes.
I regularly look at ingredients and then regularly put something back on the shelf because sugar is in the top 3. However I dont see most shoppers doing anything like that. I am the oddball.
2. Diced tomatoes in the can from any of the major makers are filled with corn syrup. Very frustrating. There is no reason for sugar to be in diced tomatoes.
I regularly look at ingredients and then regularly put something back on the shelf because sugar is in the top 3. However I dont see most shoppers doing anything like that. I am the oddball.
22
Canned corn and peas are loaded too.
Target brand of diced tomatoes are sugar free
Target brand of diced tomatoes are sugar free
1
My wife recently tried the Whole 30 diet which required the elimination of all sugar from the diet. For moral support I decided to mostly follow the plan. As we shopped we were shocked at our inability to find foods with no added sugar. She began making her own ketchup, mayonnaise, etc. It was surprisingly easy to wean ourselves off the stuff and I have to say I began feeling better. Its true that people have been consuming sugar for centuries; but never in the amounts today and never with such a sedentary lifestyle. Will I never eat sugar again? No obviously not. However after living without it for a month and realizing how it permeates our everyday diet I am much more cautious about my daily food intake.
94
When "health food stores" started selling white sugar they called it "evaporated cane juice." Now they actually call it sugar. gotta believe they did some market research, guessing they found the evaporated cane juice label just confused folks and that people believed that organic white sugar bought at "health food store" was in fact healthy.
Growing sugar cane organically is better for the soil & environment generally but the chances that it's healthier for those that consumer strike me as zilch, given how highly refined it is. Of course if homeopathic remedies work...
The interesting question is whether naturally occurring sugars are less unhealthy than added sugar. A lot of people will instinctively say yes. One could argue that the naturally occurring sugar comes with other stuff that may help the sugar be metabolized more slowly etc. On the other hand if you consume massive quantities of it...
Growing sugar cane organically is better for the soil & environment generally but the chances that it's healthier for those that consumer strike me as zilch, given how highly refined it is. Of course if homeopathic remedies work...
The interesting question is whether naturally occurring sugars are less unhealthy than added sugar. A lot of people will instinctively say yes. One could argue that the naturally occurring sugar comes with other stuff that may help the sugar be metabolized more slowly etc. On the other hand if you consume massive quantities of it...
7
"When "health food stores" started selling white sugar they called it "evaporated cane juice."
Have any proof? Or did you go to one store, and that was enough to generalize?
Have any proof? Or did you go to one store, and that was enough to generalize?
2
When I make a batch of steel-cut oatmeal for the week ahead, I substitute bottled apple juice for part of the water, rather than add granulated or brown sugar. Maybe I'm just kidding myself. But it does seem to me that apples, being from trees, are a more sustainable sugar source than cane. But, hey, I'm likely kidding myself about that, too, and will happily stand corrected.
Still wishing I'd made it to Brooklyn to see the Kara Walker installation "A Subtlety."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/arts/design/marvelous-sugar-baby-as-a-...
Still wishing I'd made it to Brooklyn to see the Kara Walker installation "A Subtlety."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/arts/design/marvelous-sugar-baby-as-a-...
I have seen "crystallized cane juice" on labels at Whole Foods, at my local organic food store, and at the organic grocery one town over from Port Angeles. Somewhere in Purgatory, P.T. Barnum is chuckling.
2
It's not about already known sugary foods and beverages. The sugar industry is not complaining because of lack of scientific evidence differentiating sugars as part of the base item as opposed to "added" sugars. What they are alarmed about is that the new labels will account for all the hidden sugars in products that scrupulously avoid the word "sugar" in their ingredients and don't include them in the sugar count on the present labels.
Compare the sugar amounts in the two comparison labels at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/health/fda-nutrition-labels.html
The first claims only 1 gm of sugar. The other 12 gm, since it has to acknowledge 10 gms of added sugars.
But people have to take some responsibility for themselves as well. Here's a challenge: Go to the bread isle of your local supermarket or health food store and find ANY brand that doesn't add sugar, honey, maple syrup, or some other type of sugar. Easier to find Waldo. Looked at the labels in Trader Joe's today for their frozen pizzas, and all had sugar. Sugar in pizza. It's not supposed to be candy, and bread is not supposed to be cake.
News flash: Diabetics can eat bread in Europe because it does not contain added sugar and is made from a healthier type of wheat.
Compare the sugar amounts in the two comparison labels at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/health/fda-nutrition-labels.html
The first claims only 1 gm of sugar. The other 12 gm, since it has to acknowledge 10 gms of added sugars.
But people have to take some responsibility for themselves as well. Here's a challenge: Go to the bread isle of your local supermarket or health food store and find ANY brand that doesn't add sugar, honey, maple syrup, or some other type of sugar. Easier to find Waldo. Looked at the labels in Trader Joe's today for their frozen pizzas, and all had sugar. Sugar in pizza. It's not supposed to be candy, and bread is not supposed to be cake.
News flash: Diabetics can eat bread in Europe because it does not contain added sugar and is made from a healthier type of wheat.
73
Ezekiel Bread and similar products have no added sugar, they're from sprouted whole grains and legumes leading to a smaller rise in blood sugar than even other whole-grain breads, and they're available at my local Safeway. I'm pretty sure white bread, popular in most European countries (maybe Germany, with their awful dense rye bread, is an exception), isn't great for diabetics even without added sugar.
Diabetics must count carbs.
Lots of things have carbs. Carbohydrates are in lots of foods, including fruit and vegetables. Bread is definitely a carb.
It doesn't matter if the bread has sugar, or nothing but flour and water. It is still a carb, and it still counts as X number of carb grams (depending on the size of the portion).
Lots of things have carbs. Carbohydrates are in lots of foods, including fruit and vegetables. Bread is definitely a carb.
It doesn't matter if the bread has sugar, or nothing but flour and water. It is still a carb, and it still counts as X number of carb grams (depending on the size of the portion).
4
How do you get bread to rise without something for the yeast to eat?
1
Yeah. We get it. Anything that is processed, and has chemists work to create the "Perfect Taste Sensation", will necessarily have sugar, salt, and all sorts of things that generally speaking you should not eat, but perhaps sparingly. But most people are not strong enough to divine the difference. Most people don't care that they are being fed food that makes them want to consume ever more and to their physical detriment. When I see 4 and 5 year old kids already overweight with parents who are buying soda, chips, cookies, ice cream to be consumed on a daily basis, I see future medical patients with type II diabetes who will keep Big Pharma in business for a long time. Sad, that.
36
They may or may not have Type 2 diabetes -- but whether they do or not, will not relate to what they ATE.
Because Type II diabetes is not caused by any food.
Because Type II diabetes is not caused by any food.
One of the great oxymorons of our times: "truth in advertising". Before this legislation takes effect there will be dictionary pages full of new 'weasel words' to hide the identity of the additives.
Someone (and it will have to be the community) will have to regulate the amount and types of additives. Because the agri-food industrial complex can only see short-term profits. Eg cyanide would be an additive if it increased the next quarter's profit.
Someone (and it will have to be the community) will have to regulate the amount and types of additives. Because the agri-food industrial complex can only see short-term profits. Eg cyanide would be an additive if it increased the next quarter's profit.
12
1. As we've heard again and again (but apparently few do), everything in moderation.
2. Buy a juicer. Seriously. If you drink a lot of juice, they are worth every dollar. Buy some big ole beer growlers or something nice to store juice in, and find your local co-op, farmer, or even the chain grocery, and tell them that you want to purchase, say, oranges in bulk (by the case), and juice away. Then drink it up, because it will not last forever. Find friends who want juice too and be the House Of Juice. Juicing parties. Yeeeeha!
But don't dis sugar. It's good for you....in moderation.
2. Buy a juicer. Seriously. If you drink a lot of juice, they are worth every dollar. Buy some big ole beer growlers or something nice to store juice in, and find your local co-op, farmer, or even the chain grocery, and tell them that you want to purchase, say, oranges in bulk (by the case), and juice away. Then drink it up, because it will not last forever. Find friends who want juice too and be the House Of Juice. Juicing parties. Yeeeeha!
But don't dis sugar. It's good for you....in moderation.
4
A really bad idea. Juiced vegetables and fruits remove the fibre that slows down naturally occurring sugar. The body received the equivalent of ignited gasoline. Your good intentions are delusional. At least dilute the juice with water.
27
A small cup of orange juice (for example) has the same amount of sugar as at least 5 oranges.
Sadly, fruit juice is about as healthy as a can of soda.
A half piece of whole fruit or a cup of something like cantaloupe chunks is much better diet-wise and insulin-wise.
Sadly, fruit juice is about as healthy as a can of soda.
A half piece of whole fruit or a cup of something like cantaloupe chunks is much better diet-wise and insulin-wise.
4
Again, moderation. If anyone is gulping down, e.g., 64 oz. of anything other than water on a daily basis, that likely constitutes Not Moderation. If you're speaking of a few 8 oz. glasses of juice, can you give references for those studies that have enlightened you?
Beyond that, there's all sorts of "research" out there that does little more than looks for sugar in juice, which you will indeed find every time. No surprise though any more than looking for sugar in, well, sugar. It IS there.
But (1) naturally occurring sugars are not Evil per se (see "moderation"), and (2) some of that "research" suggests that juiced fruits and vegetables actually releases more of the many, many other good things in said fruits and veggies that are now more easily available for uptake.*
(3) Jack LaLanne.
Before you call someone delusional, you might peruse the peer-reviewed literature and not blogs and the nutritional Best Sellers lists. As well, when you spend a decade or three drinking juiced fruits and veggies, eating in moderation, exercising not the 150 minutes the "experts" recommend, but a good, healthy average of two hours daily, then come back and speak to me.
*In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, and Vitamin C from Differently Processed Oranges and Orange Juices [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck]; J. Agric. Food Chem., 2015, 63 (2), pp 578–587 DOI: 10.1021/jf505297t
Beyond that, there's all sorts of "research" out there that does little more than looks for sugar in juice, which you will indeed find every time. No surprise though any more than looking for sugar in, well, sugar. It IS there.
But (1) naturally occurring sugars are not Evil per se (see "moderation"), and (2) some of that "research" suggests that juiced fruits and vegetables actually releases more of the many, many other good things in said fruits and veggies that are now more easily available for uptake.*
(3) Jack LaLanne.
Before you call someone delusional, you might peruse the peer-reviewed literature and not blogs and the nutritional Best Sellers lists. As well, when you spend a decade or three drinking juiced fruits and veggies, eating in moderation, exercising not the 150 minutes the "experts" recommend, but a good, healthy average of two hours daily, then come back and speak to me.
*In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, and Vitamin C from Differently Processed Oranges and Orange Juices [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck]; J. Agric. Food Chem., 2015, 63 (2), pp 578–587 DOI: 10.1021/jf505297t
Stop pretending this is hard. If you want to avoid added sugar, don't buy processed food. Dump the bottles of salad dressing, the jars of peanut butter, the cans of beans, the packages of stuffing mix, and those convenient little cartons of sweetened yogurt. Just buy food, real food.
215
I buy mostly non processed foods but I don't make my own bread, pasta, juice, crackers, mayonnaise, smoked oysters, yogurt, cheese, canned tuna, canned salmon, pastrami, ham, salami, olives, pickles, jams, ice cream, ...
I think this information will be helpful.
I think this information will be helpful.
7
Any time advice begins with the word "just," you know that it's not simple at all.
7
Some stores sell peanuts, which you can grind up to make peanut butter.I buy my pb from an organic store, where I have been shopping since 1970.It's ground up before my eyes.
Nothing but peanuts, is in my peanut butter.
Nothing but peanuts, is in my peanut butter.
2
Slaving in a hot kitchen has never been done by the wealthy (aka: the healthy). They all hired cooks. To keep their steady-paying jobs, those cooks made sure everyone at the table truly enjoyed eating their cooking. That's why those cooks added sugar and fat. No harm, no foul. And, no one at the table could ever cook a more tasty meal. Although many tried.
10
Open your eyes. 100 years ago, home cooked meals frequently contained added sugar and fat. How quickly we forget...
9
My eyes are already open, Andy, but thanks for the great suggestion!
I grew up eating spaghetti with a dash of sugar in the bolognese sauce, to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. That dish fed five, plus leftovers. Call it 8 servings. And that dash was about a tablespoon, which is 12 grams of sugar total. So that's about 1.5 grams per serving.
Now check the label of Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce: 8 grams of sugars. Eight.
http://www.ragu.com/our-sauces/old-world-style-sauces/old-world-style-tr...
Keep those tips coming, and have a blessed day!
I grew up eating spaghetti with a dash of sugar in the bolognese sauce, to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. That dish fed five, plus leftovers. Call it 8 servings. And that dash was about a tablespoon, which is 12 grams of sugar total. So that's about 1.5 grams per serving.
Now check the label of Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce: 8 grams of sugars. Eight.
http://www.ragu.com/our-sauces/old-world-style-sauces/old-world-style-tr...
Keep those tips coming, and have a blessed day!
3
Not nearly as much in the aggregate. In addition, people burned off more calories in the course of daily life.
("Open your eyes"...? Really?)
("Open your eyes"...? Really?)
5
Portion sizes 100 years ago were probably very small, too.
2
The problem isn't sugar and the problem isn't fat. The problem is that too many people do not know when they've had enough to match their activity level.
22
Allen, nobody knows this.
It happens at a level of metabolism that is not controlled by any individual -- you have no idea what your basal metabolism is, day to day. It changes all the time! if you are sick, stressed, cold, hot, etc.
Assuming you are naturally slender, your body is just very efficient at balancing your metabolic rate with your food intake. It isn't some genius thing you are doing yourself. It happens below the level of conscious thought.
Also this discussion is about added sugar in processed food -- not obesity. Funny how many people read it as you have.
It happens at a level of metabolism that is not controlled by any individual -- you have no idea what your basal metabolism is, day to day. It changes all the time! if you are sick, stressed, cold, hot, etc.
Assuming you are naturally slender, your body is just very efficient at balancing your metabolic rate with your food intake. It isn't some genius thing you are doing yourself. It happens below the level of conscious thought.
Also this discussion is about added sugar in processed food -- not obesity. Funny how many people read it as you have.
1
It's about time! My only regret is that these new labels will not be in effect sooner (they have a roll-out date of 2018-2019).
My oldest, 17, is always dieting (restricting her foods) but she consumes a boat load of added sugars. I find this horrifying but have learned to not nag her about it, as it seems to make her neurotic eating choices even worse.
At least the new labels with added sugars will make abundantly clear which foods are naturally sweet and which ones are simply over-sweetened.
My younger kids (twins) were raised on vegetables and whole milk organic yogurt with no added sugar and unsweetened apple sauce with a little added cinnamon. Then they went to pre-K...where they were fed the super sweetened fruit yogurts for snack every day. My little girl still likes unsweetened yogurt but my son will not touch it! At 4, his taste buds were distorted in five short months! That's how quickly their taste buds can adapt to overly sweetened foods. He's 8 and I still struggle to get him to eat healthy. *Sigh...
My oldest, 17, is always dieting (restricting her foods) but she consumes a boat load of added sugars. I find this horrifying but have learned to not nag her about it, as it seems to make her neurotic eating choices even worse.
At least the new labels with added sugars will make abundantly clear which foods are naturally sweet and which ones are simply over-sweetened.
My younger kids (twins) were raised on vegetables and whole milk organic yogurt with no added sugar and unsweetened apple sauce with a little added cinnamon. Then they went to pre-K...where they were fed the super sweetened fruit yogurts for snack every day. My little girl still likes unsweetened yogurt but my son will not touch it! At 4, his taste buds were distorted in five short months! That's how quickly their taste buds can adapt to overly sweetened foods. He's 8 and I still struggle to get him to eat healthy. *Sigh...
26
I had the same experience years ago when each of my three went off to school. Suddenly it was a human-rights violation that there were no pizza-flavored goldfish or "fruit" roll-ups in our house (among other delicacies).
My advice: Give up on controlling what happens in other settings, but provide only foods you feel good about in your own kitchen. Mine all adjusted well to this regimen (after some early griping).
My advice: Give up on controlling what happens in other settings, but provide only foods you feel good about in your own kitchen. Mine all adjusted well to this regimen (after some early griping).
3
Why did you allow nursery school to feed him junk? You sound awfully passive.
2
Thank you Margot for the fine article...
10
I always found it curious that gluten and GMOs, largely innocuous items, have dominated food discussions, while known disease causing items like sugar (diabetes, obesity, tooth decay) and alcohol (cirrhosis, oral cancer) seem to get a free pass.
33
Movements to discredit nutritious foods are often driven by competing interests and not facts. For example, milk , eggs, and plain potatoes, the most nutritious and cheapest of foods, are now avoided by the same people who wolf down sugar- and salt-loaded snacks, and more than half the population is overweight.
10
Believe or not some (if not most0 cans of clams have sugar. Since when is sea food from the sea sweet? Be careful.
7
There's even sugar in iodized salt. It's used to bind the iodine. However, the amount is small.
3
Start with the basics. There are many sugars. The big six, the ones that we all need to learn about, in all their various forms and formulations, are the monosaccharide and disaccharide hexoses most commonly found in plants, animals, other food sources and drinks.
The Big Six are the monosaccharide hexoses , glucose (aka dextrose), fructose and galactose; and the disaccharide hexoses, sucrose, lactose and maltose.
There are also, of course, many other important and less important sugars, but the Big Six are the perhaps the best place to begin. The articles in Wikipedia on sugars are surprisingly good and a handy starting point.
The Big Six are the monosaccharide hexoses , glucose (aka dextrose), fructose and galactose; and the disaccharide hexoses, sucrose, lactose and maltose.
There are also, of course, many other important and less important sugars, but the Big Six are the perhaps the best place to begin. The articles in Wikipedia on sugars are surprisingly good and a handy starting point.
2
Why do non-scientists need to know this?
3
How to figure out what's probably better to eat?
Ask yourself this about every processed item (i.e., something that didn't get to you like it came out of the ground, off the tree or from the bush) you put in your cart: Do I really want to eat something that is the end result of a manufacturing process that requires that the item be produced at the absolutely lowest price possible?
Ask yourself this about every processed item (i.e., something that didn't get to you like it came out of the ground, off the tree or from the bush) you put in your cart: Do I really want to eat something that is the end result of a manufacturing process that requires that the item be produced at the absolutely lowest price possible?
17
What has shocked me is the vast amounts of organic "healthy" foods at places like Whole Foods that are crammed with sugar or one of those other sugary ingredients. I tried buying a can of organic soup one day when I was just too worn out to make dinner, and every brand and every flavor had added sugar. Had to give up and get something else.
It just shows the extent of our addiction that even most "healthy" foods that are otherwise organic and use good ingredients also contain added sugar.
Stop eating it for 3 to 6 weeks, and it won't even taste good to you anymore. Your body won't crave it. A little tough in the beginning, but totally worth it!
It just shows the extent of our addiction that even most "healthy" foods that are otherwise organic and use good ingredients also contain added sugar.
Stop eating it for 3 to 6 weeks, and it won't even taste good to you anymore. Your body won't crave it. A little tough in the beginning, but totally worth it!
136
Baloney! Most Amy's brand soups, prominently featured at all Whole Foods stores, have no added sugar, and I'm sure there are plenty of other brands for which the same is true. Why is this myth repeated ad nauseum in these comments? Added sugar is very easy to avoid at the grocery store.
1
Whole Foods Markets' in-store bakeries actually add sugar to Italian Semolina bread! Do they think their customer is so addicted to sugar that even the most basic, normally unsweetened recipe needs to be adulterated?
Sure it is. Do not buy processed foods.
18
News flash! Processed food needs sugar or fat to make it taste like anything. If you see something in the supermarket that trumpets "no fat" on the label, it will have lots of sugar in it. If the label says "no added sugar" there will be a lot of fat. That's just the nature of mass-produced processed food.
Here's a thought. Try eating fresh meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit for a change. You won't need to add any sugar, and the salt and/or butter you add yourself won't come close the sodium and fats you find in processed foods.
Here's a thought. Try eating fresh meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit for a change. You won't need to add any sugar, and the salt and/or butter you add yourself won't come close the sodium and fats you find in processed foods.
27
I'd be careful about fish, or anything else that lives in the Pacific. there are still 3 missing reactor cores under Fukushima. There is also an underground river that feeds directly into the ocean in the exact same location.... Surprise !!
What happened to Neotame. It is an artificial sweetener that at 10,000 times as sweet as sugar apparently it can be used in quantiles small enough so no label notification is necessary. It is on the web, Made and distributed but never appears on a food label.
6
If sugar is Heroin, then honey and fruit juice are methadone.
The problem isn’t sugar, the problem is taste.
Sugar means “YES” and when people don’t get it, they feel cheated, they think they’re hearing “NO”, (just read some other comments). Sugar has been added to our diets because it guarantees a cheap, foolproof, source of revenue. There’s no culinary reason for it.
The idea that it adds balance, or complexity, is absurd. It conceals flavor, like the laugh track on a cheap sit-com conceals bad jokes. This kind of talk is just people swallowing whole the marketing they’ve been stuffed with for fifty years. It works in Williamsburg and Berkeley, just as well as at a Walmart in Des Moines.
I’ve commented so many times here about this and responses always run along the lines of, “Go eat your Kale and leave me alone”. Well, I don’t like kale. But, if I was passing by a gas station and saw someone putting sugar in their gas tank, a short conversation would end with a hearty handshake and a Thank You. Not when it’s in your food though. Then it’s all about your ‘right’ to like it.
America, and soon the rest of the world, is going through a crisis of taste. It's taboo to say this, but what else matters? So long as we crave sweetness, the producers of food will find ways to feed it to us like farm animals. The solution is to learn to eat things which are less sweet. Adjust your tastes. You can do it. Then enjoy a nice dessert, because you can do that too.
The problem isn’t sugar, the problem is taste.
Sugar means “YES” and when people don’t get it, they feel cheated, they think they’re hearing “NO”, (just read some other comments). Sugar has been added to our diets because it guarantees a cheap, foolproof, source of revenue. There’s no culinary reason for it.
The idea that it adds balance, or complexity, is absurd. It conceals flavor, like the laugh track on a cheap sit-com conceals bad jokes. This kind of talk is just people swallowing whole the marketing they’ve been stuffed with for fifty years. It works in Williamsburg and Berkeley, just as well as at a Walmart in Des Moines.
I’ve commented so many times here about this and responses always run along the lines of, “Go eat your Kale and leave me alone”. Well, I don’t like kale. But, if I was passing by a gas station and saw someone putting sugar in their gas tank, a short conversation would end with a hearty handshake and a Thank You. Not when it’s in your food though. Then it’s all about your ‘right’ to like it.
America, and soon the rest of the world, is going through a crisis of taste. It's taboo to say this, but what else matters? So long as we crave sweetness, the producers of food will find ways to feed it to us like farm animals. The solution is to learn to eat things which are less sweet. Adjust your tastes. You can do it. Then enjoy a nice dessert, because you can do that too.
46
Sugar (sucrose) and salt (sodium chloride), while working in different ways, were (and remain) important and necessary food and drink preservatives the world over before the inventions of modern refrigeration, canning and vacuum packing.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-salt-and-sugar-pre/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-salt-and-sugar-pre/
8
OK. We all know that, and it's a good article. But, what about Mayonnaise, Tuna Salad, Beef Jerky, (where salt did the job for Indians for centuries), tomato sauce, bread, mustard, (!!), horseradish, Hummus, barbecue sauce, Tamales. Pizza... and I could go on forever.
Are you suggesting that it's there as a preservative?
Are you suggesting that it's there as a preservative?
1
True, mass-produced industrially processed and packaged foods require salt and sugar. Preserve your own meats, fruits and vegetables by drying, canning and freezing. http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/... Buy naturally leavened preservative free breads from your local baker, and don't be fooled by the so-called artisanal the baked-in-store variety.
Well of course the sugar industry and the corn refiners are upset. This ruling is going to cut into their profits.
12
You don't suppose that any of the affected industries receive any government subsidies, do ya...?
1
FINALLY! If anything is to change American eating habits, it's knowing how much sugar has been added to food.
This is something that's bothered me about the current label ever since it was introduced. I know foods have sugars as part of their natural chemistry. What I want to know is how much sugar has been added so I can decide how much sugar I want in a given food. If something needs sweetening, I'd rather do it myself, thank you.
It's like Starbucks telling us the calorie count of its various pastries - seeing that my favorite has 490 calories has literally changed my eating habits at Starbucks. In fact, I don't buy Starbucks pastries anymore at all. They were good, but I don't miss them - and neither does my body.
This is something that's bothered me about the current label ever since it was introduced. I know foods have sugars as part of their natural chemistry. What I want to know is how much sugar has been added so I can decide how much sugar I want in a given food. If something needs sweetening, I'd rather do it myself, thank you.
It's like Starbucks telling us the calorie count of its various pastries - seeing that my favorite has 490 calories has literally changed my eating habits at Starbucks. In fact, I don't buy Starbucks pastries anymore at all. They were good, but I don't miss them - and neither does my body.
14
Are people now incapable of reading the nutrition labeling on foods? You can tell what foods have sugars, and what types of sugars. Just read. (And for what it's worth, beware frozen entrees, unless you don't mind a massive sodium overload.)
13
It's not that simple, Marion.
My husband has a PhD in bio-organic chemistry, and he didn't know that "mizo ame" was sugar. Food manufacturers can be clever at hiding the facts about their ingredients. Very clever, it seems. Hopefully, this new law will help, just as laws requiring caloric information have.
My husband has a PhD in bio-organic chemistry, and he didn't know that "mizo ame" was sugar. Food manufacturers can be clever at hiding the facts about their ingredients. Very clever, it seems. Hopefully, this new law will help, just as laws requiring caloric information have.
18
I didn't know "mizo ame" was sugar, either. But I would not have bought a product listing that as an ingredient because it violates my policy of not buying food if it lists ingredients I don't recognize or chemicals that don't at least ring a bell from high school chemistry class as elements on the periodic table, for which we had to memorize all those molecular weights, etc. in order to do mole equations! There was nothing on that table that had 15 letters. But yes, it's true that the food industry deliberately cloaks what it's doing and deceives people.
2
I have read nutrition labels my whole life, and have taught courses with sections on nutrition, which includes going over the labels, plus reading the ingredient list. You cannot get the information about added sugars from the current labels. It just is not there.
3
Half of all adults in the U.S. are diabetic or pre-diabetic. It's essential that people be able to tell from labels which foods have added sugar to help control this public health crisis.
19
NO THEY ARE NOT.
That is absurd fantasizing and projection by Big Pharma, which wants to put the maximum number of people on their drugs! and the "Diet Industrial Complex" which wants you to diet and buy diet products (and fail all the time, so you are a customer FOREVER).
About 20% of Americans have Type 2 diabetes -- another 5% have Type 1 diabetes -- and most of the Type 2 diabetics are over 60.
There is really no such thing as "pre-diabetes". If you have high fasting glucose numbers, they are very likely to stay that way for years and most "pre diabetics" never progress to full blown diabetes.
That is absurd fantasizing and projection by Big Pharma, which wants to put the maximum number of people on their drugs! and the "Diet Industrial Complex" which wants you to diet and buy diet products (and fail all the time, so you are a customer FOREVER).
About 20% of Americans have Type 2 diabetes -- another 5% have Type 1 diabetes -- and most of the Type 2 diabetics are over 60.
There is really no such thing as "pre-diabetes". If you have high fasting glucose numbers, they are very likely to stay that way for years and most "pre diabetics" never progress to full blown diabetes.
Why does it matter whether the sugars are added or intrinsic? Sugar is sugar.
5
No it's not. In a chemical sense sure, but your digestive track treats them differently. Added sugar, the one with the flavor punch, is not digested at the same rate as sugar that your body has to extract little packages created by the plants. In an extreme think of the difference between our ability to digest cellulose, made up of sugar molecules, vs sucrose, two sugars stuck together. A fairer comparison would be an apple, which releases some sugar immediately, but more over time vs concentrated apple juice, which I hope is counted as added sugar. Concentrated apple juice is made by extracting sugar from the packages, removing the fiber, and removing water. It is a far cry from an apple. The sugar in it quickly moves to the blood stream, and an alarming amount of it can be consumed in a short amount of time.
7
It does matter. Otherwise you might as well tell me that fresh organic blueberries (15 G sugar per serving) are the nutritional equivalent of Cookie Crisp cereal (15 G of sugar).
4
Naturally occurring sugars can't easily be removed without additional processing. Added sugars are trivially removed – by not adding them. So if you are attempting to eat foods that are reasonably available, processed no more than necessary, and have as little sugar as possible, you want to know how much sugar is added.
A better question is "what possible good reason could there be for obfuscating the amount of added sugar?"
A better question is "what possible good reason could there be for obfuscating the amount of added sugar?"
1
I cannot tell what I am to do based on this article. Am I to give up all the sources of sugar mentioned in these two lists?
Is there a recommended quantity of food from either list? Or is this just an expose of hidden sugars in the second list?
Some people are saying "If it is bad do not bring it home". Well after looking at these lists the only things that these folks are bring home is meat, seafood, and some bitter vegetables.
Is there a recommended quantity of food from either list? Or is this just an expose of hidden sugars in the second list?
Some people are saying "If it is bad do not bring it home". Well after looking at these lists the only things that these folks are bring home is meat, seafood, and some bitter vegetables.
2
Greatly reduce your consumption of processed food.
10
The Food Nazis.
1
Your doctor could probably refer you to a registered dietician.
But I'm warning you: you will be shocked at the portion sizes and the monotony of the foods at first.
I was lucky because I had gestational diabetes. There was no "phasing in" or messing around. I had to make immediate changes. I got the results late one afternoon and the next morning was meeting with the dietician. My lunch after that meeting (and every meal thereafter for 12 weeks) adhered to the new diet.
If it weren't for my baby, I think it would have been nearly impossible to stick to it. After the first 2 weeks, though, it was no big deal. I was literally never hungry and had no cravings.
But I'm warning you: you will be shocked at the portion sizes and the monotony of the foods at first.
I was lucky because I had gestational diabetes. There was no "phasing in" or messing around. I had to make immediate changes. I got the results late one afternoon and the next morning was meeting with the dietician. My lunch after that meeting (and every meal thereafter for 12 weeks) adhered to the new diet.
If it weren't for my baby, I think it would have been nearly impossible to stick to it. After the first 2 weeks, though, it was no big deal. I was literally never hungry and had no cravings.
3
Back in the mid-70s a co-worker who had seen me put 5 lumps of sugar in every coffee I drank at work gave me a book to read. The book was titled "Sugar Blues" and from the time I'd finished reading it I decided to 'quit the habit'. Over the next few weeks I went from my 5 lumps to none. Today I keep a few packets of white sugar in my cupboard for guests who use it in coffee and tea. I tried to eliminate all products containing added sugar and soon realized that in order to do so I'd likely starve. Almost everything I saw in stores had added sugar. It's addictive and dangerous. I hope a lot of people see this article and heed its warnings.
63
Salt, fat, & Sugar pervade our supermarkets for just 2 reasons
1) Products with a 'good' mix of these ingredients tend to sell far better than products that are more natural
This is a stupid consumer preference, and it spills over massively into many healthy-choices & smart-choice products. If the consumer demand wasn't so great, at least 'some' of those health-oriented products would be almost devoid of those ingredients
Many people wrongly decry 'processed foods', but the reality is that we could create 'processed foods' that are wonderful for us, but they won't 'move off the shelves'
I used to watch the FOX show Masterchef, and was always stunned by their single, most common critique: "it needs more salt". Should be a compliment, since the person eating it, can determine for themselves how much salt it needs, and shouldn't be forced to accept an excessive amount that they would often have little means of removing
2) Also, in line with Salt, Fat, & Sugar, these are all relatively cheap, so it makes the end-products cheaper,
which, along with their palate-pleasingness, makes it a win-win for Food Producers to saturate our markets with things that we choose to want, but that aren't good for us
1) Products with a 'good' mix of these ingredients tend to sell far better than products that are more natural
This is a stupid consumer preference, and it spills over massively into many healthy-choices & smart-choice products. If the consumer demand wasn't so great, at least 'some' of those health-oriented products would be almost devoid of those ingredients
Many people wrongly decry 'processed foods', but the reality is that we could create 'processed foods' that are wonderful for us, but they won't 'move off the shelves'
I used to watch the FOX show Masterchef, and was always stunned by their single, most common critique: "it needs more salt". Should be a compliment, since the person eating it, can determine for themselves how much salt it needs, and shouldn't be forced to accept an excessive amount that they would often have little means of removing
2) Also, in line with Salt, Fat, & Sugar, these are all relatively cheap, so it makes the end-products cheaper,
which, along with their palate-pleasingness, makes it a win-win for Food Producers to saturate our markets with things that we choose to want, but that aren't good for us
6
When ever I told my mother that something didn't taste good, she'd tell me to put more salt on it. It always worked.
5
The only news that could be better than this: the establishment of a tax proportional to the added sugars in foods that would be charged to both producers and consumers of those foods, and used to offset the medical care needed by (excessive) sugar eaters.
7
Unfortunately the poor and uneducated with children will bear the brunt of the tax...
3
Sure a welcome change on sugar, but a consumer still has to look for the recommended threshold of grams and convert grams to tablespoons and teaspoons. This should be taught everywhere at the earliest possible age. Who will continue Michelle Obama's progress?
Without more comprehensive reporting on the unsung issue of food during this election, the Times risks compromising the discussion. Stop the bits and bobs. We had natural, eggs, sugar and sugar in a few days and reliance on links to certain sources ( in eggs especially) that don't explain this well. Do a whole piece on food labeling, industry practices, the questionable ingredients and processes, who funds the data studies, the stop the states legislation, GMO, trade and coordinated policies in health, consumer protection, children, the elderly, agriculture, equality, and impacts of and resilience to climate change.
Finally, why is The Times singling out brands in an analysis piece without an integrated analysis, link to docket or study, and permitting comments recommending brands?
Without more comprehensive reporting on the unsung issue of food during this election, the Times risks compromising the discussion. Stop the bits and bobs. We had natural, eggs, sugar and sugar in a few days and reliance on links to certain sources ( in eggs especially) that don't explain this well. Do a whole piece on food labeling, industry practices, the questionable ingredients and processes, who funds the data studies, the stop the states legislation, GMO, trade and coordinated policies in health, consumer protection, children, the elderly, agriculture, equality, and impacts of and resilience to climate change.
Finally, why is The Times singling out brands in an analysis piece without an integrated analysis, link to docket or study, and permitting comments recommending brands?
11
Is it ok to mention a brand if the brand reference is germane to a particular point being made? Just wondering.
2
Why does converting to different units matter? So you can visualize how much sugar it is? If it contains any amount of added sugar, be it labeled in grams or tablespoons, don't eat it. It's really as simple as that.
What I have always found weird about the U.S. is how different we are than say European countries in our seemingly endless need to fill our citizenry and especially our children with pure junk. Besides the so called"kid's meals" at restaurants which are usually no more than some unhealthy combo of starch,salt ,fat and sugar and shocking in their lack of sound nutrition, in the U.S. most children's treats, breakfast cereals, favorite foods and beverages sold in regular grocery stores are loaded with artificial colors ,flavors,sugars and preservatives. Is it no wonder that when these children grow up they have no sense of nutrition or what is healthy? If we respected ourselves and our children we would mandate the removal of the most unhealthy of these ingredients,push for standards for "kid's meals",and make regular grocery store food less junky so that regular folks can buy and eat regular food without poisoning themselves!
182
Obesity is also not a problem solely regulated to the US - it's a big problem in Europe too. And some of those things you've listed are not inherently bad.
And European attitudes towards regulations are not the be-all, end-all. Take a look at the cover article from the American Chemical Society's magazine, C&EN, the other week on cosmetics, which are more strictly regulated in the US than they are in Europe.
And European attitudes towards regulations are not the be-all, end-all. Take a look at the cover article from the American Chemical Society's magazine, C&EN, the other week on cosmetics, which are more strictly regulated in the US than they are in Europe.
3
Perhaps it will ultimately be like seatbelts and cigarettes,when our health insurers decide their costs are too high for treating diseases like diabetes,hypertension,obesity,etc. , they will put pressure on manufacturers to limit unhealthy added ingredients like salt and sugar especially in foods consumed primarily by children.
9
The whole concept of "kids meals" in this country is completely messed up. I grew up in Europe and there, a "kid's meal" on the menu meant that any other regular item on the menu could be ordered in a smaller size. Because kids are small. That's all the difference - they are people like us who need to eat the same things we do, only in smaller amounts, because they are small themselves. How and why did the US decide that children need a separate menu altogether? And, most importantly, why is that separate menu full of junk, when the adults are dining on all kinds of varied and healthier options? Even teething babies need to be given the same kinds of food you eat, only chopped or cooked softer. Aside from an actual infant who can't chew anything at all and needs a puree, there is no reason whatsoever your kid should eat a different menu. And even a baby's puree should be the same food you eat, only pureed. Not a special blend of sugar, salt and fat like commercial purees tend to be.
Stop treating kids like some sort of aliens incapable of eating alongside us. If anything, they need healthy eating even more than we do, not less!
13
Cooking without sugar - we are so accustomed to sugar in our diet that we have been desensitized to the natural sweetness in real, whole foods. I have found in my own experience, with due diligence, removing all overt and covert sugar has helped me appreciate and detect the subtleties in foods. Very much akin to Starbucks's coffee; that powerful over-roasted flavor prohibits enjoying subtleties in other coffee beans and roasting. Give it try; to both!
41
I've found the same thing with salt. So many prepared foods have too much sodium. It's much better to use a low/no sodium version and add sea salt, if necessary.
What is the sugar industry so afraid of? For too long, Big Food has been too reliant on public ignorance as a marketing strategy. In an era of tweets, YouTube vids and everything Google-able, this change to the labels is welcome and overdue.
60
As with any business, the sugar industry is afraid of decreasing sales.
1
The government aids and abets the food industry by allowing them to get away with all the false advertising, the lies, the phony advertisements. The food companies are liars and cheats but what is the responsibility of our government to provide a minute of accuracy pertaining to ingredients?
hard to tell if there is added sugar in that box or container? not really. ALL processed food has lots & lots of added sugar and salt. dont wait for the food industry to add info to its labels: just stay away from it. i read somewhere that without all the added sugar & salt, kellogs cornflakes taste like metal. METAL!
12
Did you try them that way? Did they taste like metal? If not, what is the value of your comment that "you read somewhere" ?
3
news flash: processed food is not a healthy option
36
Corn syrup (corn sugar) is made from processing corn. High-fructose corn syrup arrises when corn syrup is treated with the enzyme glucose isomerase which coverts glucose molecules into fructose molecules. High-fructose corn syrup has a longer shelf life than untreated corn syrup, which is why H-F corn syrup is added to soft drinks and other food products.
Back in the 70s and 80s when H-F corn syrup was being widely adopted by the food industry there was much concern about suspected health impacts. There were questions about digestibility and the the creation of arterial plaque, for example. Nobody seems to have addressed these concerns scientifically. The sugar industry addressed them fairly recently with an ad-campaign that showed happy cobs of corn dancing around telling us that corn sugar, including H-F corn sugar, was no different from any other sugar.
Personally, I suspect there is a difference and I try to avoid H-F corn syrup products. Kudos to the Hunt's Brand for marketing a tasty ketchup free of H-F corn syrup.
Back in the 70s and 80s when H-F corn syrup was being widely adopted by the food industry there was much concern about suspected health impacts. There were questions about digestibility and the the creation of arterial plaque, for example. Nobody seems to have addressed these concerns scientifically. The sugar industry addressed them fairly recently with an ad-campaign that showed happy cobs of corn dancing around telling us that corn sugar, including H-F corn sugar, was no different from any other sugar.
Personally, I suspect there is a difference and I try to avoid H-F corn syrup products. Kudos to the Hunt's Brand for marketing a tasty ketchup free of H-F corn syrup.
49
I'm with you, Barry. I avoid HFC like the plague. I suspect HFC.....maybe even fructose altogether......is not digested the same as plain cane sugar. My anecdotal evidence is myself. I don't eat sugary products, but I can load my homemade iced tea with plain cane sugar and drink it all day, every day, with no evidence of weight issues. However, if I eat HFC-contaminated foods, or even just fresh fruit or unadulterated fruit juice, I see it around the waistline. Don't ask me why. I just know it holds true for myself. It's worthwhile, I think, for us all to pay close attention to the effects of everything we ingest, and buy/consume accordingly.
4
Almost every savory recipe that I have seems to call for a small amount of added sugar. I've tried leaving it out, and find that the final product doesn't taste as good. It is usually from one teaspoon to one tablespoon.
These recipes run from vegetables all the way to baked goods. In home cooking, sugar balances flavors and helps with browning. Added sugar is necessary in home cooking. What needs to be more specific is the line on the label that conglomerates ingredients that are ess than 2%.
Saying what percentage of the final product comes from added sugar would be a real advance.
I will say that my taste buds tell me the amount of sugar in things like pork and beans has increased over the years. The American public is addicted to sweet from infancy. Our corn and potatoes and tomatoes are grown from sweeter varieties now.
Quite frankly, I miss food that doesn't have a sweet taste overlay.
These recipes run from vegetables all the way to baked goods. In home cooking, sugar balances flavors and helps with browning. Added sugar is necessary in home cooking. What needs to be more specific is the line on the label that conglomerates ingredients that are ess than 2%.
Saying what percentage of the final product comes from added sugar would be a real advance.
I will say that my taste buds tell me the amount of sugar in things like pork and beans has increased over the years. The American public is addicted to sweet from infancy. Our corn and potatoes and tomatoes are grown from sweeter varieties now.
Quite frankly, I miss food that doesn't have a sweet taste overlay.
35
Sister Jane you need to repent and change your sugary ways!!
6
Adding cinnamon to cooking can substitute for sugar. When I make scratch tomato sauce I always throw in a couple of teaspoon of the stuff--it seems to neutralize the acidity somewhat and makes it quite delicious, while not making it taste like cinnamon.
5
The cookbook I mostly rely on is the Joy of Cooking, a 1940s edition.
1
Thanks for publishing the lists of sugary ingredients. This will really help at the grocery store. My maxim is, "If it ain't healthy, don't even let it into the house."
I had to smile at "clintose." It's 2016, after all.
I had to smile at "clintose." It's 2016, after all.
24
Please look at these two lists. Then tell us what are you bringing home for your family to eat. Suggest a couple of nights' dinners.
2
Well, for tomorrow's Sunday dinner, we're having fresh broccoli and flounder.
9
Grilled burgers (served on a bun) with standard toppings (including cheese, if you like). Ketchup and mustard okay.
Half an ear of corn (very starchy) or vegetable medley if the burger won't fill you up.
Cut the burger into 4 pieces, spread pieces apart, put veggies in the middle of your plate. When you see it plated this way, you realize it's alot of food.
*Veggie burgers are actually decent, too, as long as you serve them piping hot.
Skip the chips, fries, potato salad, baked beans and high-calorie drinks. That's where the carbs are (carbs become sugar inside you).
Half an ear of corn (very starchy) or vegetable medley if the burger won't fill you up.
Cut the burger into 4 pieces, spread pieces apart, put veggies in the middle of your plate. When you see it plated this way, you realize it's alot of food.
*Veggie burgers are actually decent, too, as long as you serve them piping hot.
Skip the chips, fries, potato salad, baked beans and high-calorie drinks. That's where the carbs are (carbs become sugar inside you).
1
The last round of nutrition labels emphasized the amount of fat and the calories from fat in foods. Before that, people studied ingredient lists to avoid butter, which was replaced by partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. (Turned out really well, didn't it?) This round emphasizes the amount of added sugar. When this turns out not to be a panacea, what will the next round be?
6
Well I think the last round was partly financed by the sugar industry, so maybe this round will go better. Also there is a big difference between adding a new products, trans fats, and reducing one. We know the amount of sugar we are consuming is going through the roof, and we have a lot of evidence of harm we cause ourselves by this increase.
2
Anyone who doesn't know that the industrial food they shovel into themselves and their kids contains tons of highly processed sugar among all kinds of other bad things is willfully ignorant, you can't possibly be unaware of it unless you want to be.
86
With picking healthy food it's very simple. Look carefully for the word "ingredients". If you can find it then it's junk food and you should not bring it into your house. Junk food is a little like a puff on a cigarette, One single puff is not really harmful but it leads to a habit. In general, kids learn to like whatever they eat when young. Indian kids learn to like curry. Mexican kids let to like tortillas with beans rice and meat. And they keep eating this into adulthood and then next generation. If you teach your kids to like oreos (as you parents did to you) then they will keep liking that into adulthood. Even if it's just a speciial treat once a week. Never bring any junk food into your house. if your kid finds it elsewhere at a birthday party etc that's fine. Just never bring it into your house.
109
Quit smoking five years ago. A kingdom for your little puff.
1
c'mon now. no one is going to be able to eat from scratch (what - grind their own flour and bake their own bread etc?). some modern convenience is going to be good (maybe even healthy) for you. but if they list the added sugars, that's great. also, I think some group needs to come up w/ a verification process...so that if a food touts itself as no sugar or low sugar...that should have an objective meaning. like greek yogurt (plain greek yogurt) should get a "pass", but greek yogurt sweetened by condenses berry juice and pulp - that's a fail! Just like the whole fair trade sources badge.
If you can't find the word "ingredients" on a package it's in the produce section or it's bottled milk. (I exaggerate a little.) I would go a little further and read the ingredient list.
1
What we really need to worry about are the amounts in the item and how much of that item we actually eat. I don't worry much about ketchup because I don't eat burgers that often and when I do I use maybe 2 tablespoons of the stuff. My husband bakes bread using honey but each slice has only a very small amount. The things I pay real attention to are things like spaghetti sauce and the sugar bombs in the pastry dept. or the sugar sweetened everything at most Thai and Chinese restaurants. If I want a sweet, I can make something much healthier with way less sugar at home and that tastes better than anything store bought.
9
This is awesome! But I thought they were going to include how many calories for the entire package as well as per serving? I think the school lunches for kids needs to be adjusted to smaller meal sizes and offer healthy fruit and vegetables snacks during the day. All Americans eat twice as much food than what their bodies actually need. Children need to be taught portion control at a young age and parents need to lead by example but most importantly they should teach this in school. It isn't just about choosing healthier food options, they need to learn how to set limits and what are the consequences that can effect their health.
I also wish more restaurants would offer half plate servings, it's just waaaaay too much food.
I also wish more restaurants would offer half plate servings, it's just waaaaay too much food.
24
I wonder how this affects my Coca Puffs?!
11
Yeah it is. Read the ingredients.
4
General rule - don't buy processed foods, including most spaghetti sauces, canned soups, flavored yogurt, and almost all juices and drinks. Save the sugar for an occasional really good dessert without artificial flavors. And if there is a word on an ingredient list and it is not self-evident what it is, it's probably not good for you. On the other hand, molasses and honey can add essential flavor to some foods. So it is mostly about reading the label and thinking before you buy stuff.
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If you're pre-diabetic, like me, avoid the molasses and honey as well. They can raise blood sugar just as easily as regular sugar can.
I've reduced my intake of added sugar to no more than 4 or 5 grams a day, equivalent to about 1 teaspoon. I allow myself a low-carb chocolate protein/fiber bar each morning that has 3 grams of sugar, and really don't eat anything else with added sugar. It's not easy. I really miss my before-bed cookies. Tea doesn't go very well with plain bran cereal or whole wheat matzoh (my recent dessert options).
I've reduced my intake of added sugar to no more than 4 or 5 grams a day, equivalent to about 1 teaspoon. I allow myself a low-carb chocolate protein/fiber bar each morning that has 3 grams of sugar, and really don't eat anything else with added sugar. It's not easy. I really miss my before-bed cookies. Tea doesn't go very well with plain bran cereal or whole wheat matzoh (my recent dessert options).
1
Spaghetti sauces with sugar are nothing compared to the carbs in the spaghetti pasta.
Carbs and sugars are the problem, not just sugar.
Carbs and sugars are the problem, not just sugar.
2
And by the way, the bar I mentioned doesn't contain any sugar alcohols. It's sweetened with real sugar and chicory root. I'm not sure, but it sounds like sugar alcohols can impact blood sugar, though it's not always the case.
Now let's get to salt. Some foods use "flavoring agents" such as anchovies to load their products with salt, again leaving the consumer unaware of how much salt is present in their food.
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Don't know how you could be unaware of the salt content. Its right there on the lable - sodium - in milligrams and percent.
11
Sodium content has always been listed on packaged foods.
CParis, "always" is a bit too strong. It has been listed for many years but only a few decades.
This was something that was long overdue. Surprised to see Congress not opposing it yet but I am sure they will do that soon enough, you know, concerns about job losses and government overreach.
16
Congress will probably say no zika funding if this goes into effect.
5
Barry M. Popkin and Corinna Hawkes deserve a Nobel Prize for Medicine.
8
"Sticker shock?" I don't think so. Those of us who read labels have been aware of the sugar content of seemingly "benign" foods. Those who don't, still won't. That having been said. I think the distinction between natural added sugar will be helpful.
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THIS. Dolores nails it.
1
Another good reason to cook your own foods from scratch whenever possible. There are easy-to-make versions of prett much everything.
56
I remember the first wave of "low fat" and "fat free" products that made up for the lack of taste and satisfaction by adding sugars such as the lists shown in this article. Although the net result was fewer calories per serving, these foods still lacked essential nutrients and often people ate more and made up for the calorie difference. I think the "added sugar" information is useful to the consumer as it reminds us of the nutritional price we pay for the convenience of processed foods and the risks of our taste buds being conditioned to demand more sugar.
42
The article is incorrect in stating that fruit juice concentrates are pure sugar. They do have the nutrients and polyphenols of the fruit. For example prune juice concentrate contains fiber, potassium, magnesium, b vitamins and other minerals.
16
Eat the fresh plums, or the dried ones called prunes. It's all there, including the fiber.
2
But your body reacts to them as it does to other added sugar. It is good some healthy things come along with the sweetener, but the easily accessible sugar is still a problem, and people need to know it is there when they choose the product.
I grew up on a diet that didn't contain any sugar, except in desserts and cookies, in small amounts. I don't have to read the labels to know that salad dressings, spaghetti sauces and a larger number of canned food contains sugar. The first time I was exposed to foods that contained sugar especially bread, I simply stopped eating them because I found the taste unpalatable. My weight hasn't changed very much since I was a teenager.
The only time I gained weight, was when I first arrived to North America and consumed fast food which was easily available. Fortunately that period lasted a very short time because I couldn't take it. I started to prepare my own food the way my mom prepared it. It is extremely light and very savory. I never developed a taste for soft drinks or extremely salty potato chips which I consume very rarely.
I am very happy that the FDA is doing something about the poisons unnecessarily added to food. Removing sugar from foods we consume will dramatically reduce obesity and all the health costs that come with it.
The only time I gained weight, was when I first arrived to North America and consumed fast food which was easily available. Fortunately that period lasted a very short time because I couldn't take it. I started to prepare my own food the way my mom prepared it. It is extremely light and very savory. I never developed a taste for soft drinks or extremely salty potato chips which I consume very rarely.
I am very happy that the FDA is doing something about the poisons unnecessarily added to food. Removing sugar from foods we consume will dramatically reduce obesity and all the health costs that come with it.
210
But of course, surely all of us love that cardboard flavor...
Go to Korea, which has gone from the healthy food of a poor country to an obsession with sugar and empty calories: huge desert portions and ultra processed food. Traditional food is commonly eaten - but so is ice cream, at 10:30AM...
First the Koreans gained height. Now they are gaining weight. Obesity has begun.
I've been here for 3 weeks and gained 3 or 4 pounds (I'm naturally thin). Sugar is almost impossible to avoid.
It ain't just America and the West. The rest of the world is catching up. Alas.
First the Koreans gained height. Now they are gaining weight. Obesity has begun.
I've been here for 3 weeks and gained 3 or 4 pounds (I'm naturally thin). Sugar is almost impossible to avoid.
It ain't just America and the West. The rest of the world is catching up. Alas.
I wonder if most people would benefit from cooking and nutrition classes to teach them to cook like you do. most people buy bread and spaghetti sauce and frozen tj pizza but dont do much cooking from "scratch" every comment that says just eat "real" food is not specific enough and new labels are not going to do much to change behaviors. People most likely need education. Cooking classes, learning what real basic foods they should have in their everyday diet an how to shop for them and make them. Most people are so pressed for time that they dont really have the motivation to change their lifestyle and cook and eat different foods. there is a real need for this type of education to address What is a real food. How do I prepare it. How do I make it good and healthy. How do I prep it so it is ready when I'm hungry. etc.
2
This just might encourage people to prepare food from scratch: real ingredients, real food. The educational value of actually seeing the added sugars in prepared foods can help consumers decide to make the leap to homemade. It will taste better and be healthier.
83
Our brains need sugar, the trick is to balance input with exercise and restraint. Since the obesity epidemic is driven by those who use food for anything but nutrition, more package labeling would be valuable to those who already read them, but not those who eat from stress or loneliness.
It took a month in a nursing home, threatened with insulin shots, to show me that any carbohydrate is hazardous to my health. So, tiny portions of bread, potatoes and rice is all I can process. Success became a day without reducing my capacity to think.
Without that personal experience, why should the average overweight person care? Whatever caused the craving is still there. Yesterday, after a stressful afternoon I bought myself a treat from the bakery, doubled my exercise routine and gained not an ounce. Actually, lowered my percentage of body fat and increased muscle. Do you seriously believe that I would be discouraged by knowing, to the gram, how much sugar it contained?
It took a month in a nursing home, threatened with insulin shots, to show me that any carbohydrate is hazardous to my health. So, tiny portions of bread, potatoes and rice is all I can process. Success became a day without reducing my capacity to think.
Without that personal experience, why should the average overweight person care? Whatever caused the craving is still there. Yesterday, after a stressful afternoon I bought myself a treat from the bakery, doubled my exercise routine and gained not an ounce. Actually, lowered my percentage of body fat and increased muscle. Do you seriously believe that I would be discouraged by knowing, to the gram, how much sugar it contained?
6
Perhaps those who are overweight won't care, but those who do not wish to become -- or their parents -- so will.
Surely one's personal experience is a poor foundation for public policy.
Surely one's personal experience is a poor foundation for public policy.
17
Since there's little, if any, evidence that inherent sugar versus added sugar has a different health effect, why such a fuss about how some of it may have gotten there?
Sounds like data... as opposed to information. It's more likely to confuse most consumers than to inform.
Our government continues to force poor science down our throats, literally, as one food food "pyramid" after another becomes a quaint laughing stock over the decades.
Sounds like data... as opposed to information. It's more likely to confuse most consumers than to inform.
Our government continues to force poor science down our throats, literally, as one food food "pyramid" after another becomes a quaint laughing stock over the decades.
7
That used to be the conventional wisdom, and that's what food manufacturers keep saying.
However, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) causes problems because the uncoupled fructose is absorbed by the liver and converted into fat that can damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis and finally organ failure.
Also, fat globules can be released into the bloodstream, a risk factor for heart disease.
Also, fructose does not trigger release of insulin and leptin, which can promote weight gain that leads, to obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
However, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) causes problems because the uncoupled fructose is absorbed by the liver and converted into fat that can damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis and finally organ failure.
Also, fat globules can be released into the bloodstream, a risk factor for heart disease.
Also, fructose does not trigger release of insulin and leptin, which can promote weight gain that leads, to obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
60
Thank you for the additional info. To the extent this is accurate, it's actually very important to know.
Although I try to eat healthy foods, I have no expertise in nutritional science and our scientific grasp in this area is an ever-moving target that never seems to land anywhere.
This NYTimes article explicitly says that any such scientific evidence of differences by sugar source is weak. That's why I would prefer the government make disclosure policies based on real science instead of the conventional "wisdom" of the day, which is rarely accurate.
If we're to
Although I try to eat healthy foods, I have no expertise in nutritional science and our scientific grasp in this area is an ever-moving target that never seems to land anywhere.
This NYTimes article explicitly says that any such scientific evidence of differences by sugar source is weak. That's why I would prefer the government make disclosure policies based on real science instead of the conventional "wisdom" of the day, which is rarely accurate.
If we're to
2
HFCS is about 50% glucose and 50% fructose, cane sugar is exactly 50% glucose and 50% fructose. There's no significant difference to the body in consuming one or the other.
7
Eye-opening article.
I believe that the best solution is to stay away from processed foods. Especially ketchup and other benign appearing condiments, and flavored yogurt. A few fresh berries in plain Fage Turkish yogurt can't be beat!
I believe that the best solution is to stay away from processed foods. Especially ketchup and other benign appearing condiments, and flavored yogurt. A few fresh berries in plain Fage Turkish yogurt can't be beat!
123
No way I'm eating my french fries without ketchup. Compared to how bad the fries are for me the ketchup is meaningless.
6
Focusing on ketchup is missing the forest for the trees.
The forest is the fries or oversized burgers ketchup is served with.
The forest is the fries or oversized burgers ketchup is served with.
4
Fage is Greek yogurt, not Turkish!
4
Listing grams of added sugar would be a boon to those of us that work with clients on food plans. The difference between milk sugars--naturally occurring in dairy--and added sugar is especially hard for them to grasp. When one client asked how to tell whether the yogurt she was buying was too high in added sugar, the best advice I could give was to see how many grams of sugar were listed in that brand's plain yogurt and subtract: far more work than it should be.
129
A really simple solution for yogurt: eat only full fat yogurt with no added sugars, ie no flavored yogurts. Add some fresh fruit and a touch of vanilla and you will have something that is filling and tasty and won't leave you with a raging hunger in an hour.
34
Jackie Gleason said it first: "How sweet it is."
19
This is a step in the right direction. Knowing and understanding what's in your food will allow you to make more educated decisions when purchasing food. High fructose corn syrup has gotten a bad rap while manufacturers add other forms of processed sugar. The obesity epidemic is easily traced back to our overall intake of sugar, this move will be helpful to those looking to limit their sugar intake.
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"High fructose corn syrup has gotten a bad rap"
Really??
Care to explain that and provide links to scientific studies that aren't corporate sponsored that show it's OK? And, that it somehow has different effects from other pernicious added sugars...
Hope you're just an interested citizen and not an employee of Big Farming or the Corn Growers Association! :-)
Really??
Care to explain that and provide links to scientific studies that aren't corporate sponsored that show it's OK? And, that it somehow has different effects from other pernicious added sugars...
Hope you're just an interested citizen and not an employee of Big Farming or the Corn Growers Association! :-)
5
Agree with you Paula. HFCS has a bad rap for good reasons.
2