Spotting Added Sugars

In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends cutting back on calories from added sugars.

The American Heart Association has specific guidelines for added sugar.  No more than 100 calories a day from added sugar for most women and no more than 150 calories a day for most men. That's about 6 teaspoons of added sugar for women and 9 teaspoons for men.

Most Americans get more than 22 teaspoons or 355 calories from added sugars each day, which far exceeds any of these recommendations.

Why should added sugars be limited?  The problem with added sugars are they cause tooth decay, poor nutrition, weight gain, and increased triglycerides.

Reading the Nutrition Facts Label is the easiest way to know whether or not a food has added sugars.  Added sugars are found on the label under various of names.  Below is a list of some of the most commonly used added sugars that you would find on the ingredient list of a nutrition label.

Added Sugars
Agave nectar
Brown sugar
Cane crystals
Cane sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Crystalline fructose
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrates
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Maltose
Malt syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Sucrose
Sugar
Syrup

The further up on the ingredient list one of these names is, the more added sugars there are in that particular food.  Read labels and monitor your added sugar intake.

References
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dgas2010-dgacreport.htm
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Sugars-and-Carbohydrates_UCM_303296_Article.jsp