By Heather (Hedrick) Fink, M.S., R.D.

The health implications of sugar in the American diet has become a hot topic. Sugar has been accused of causing a plethora of problems including dental caries, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer and hyperactivity in children. However, research has only shown a direct link between sugar and a higher incidence of dental caries. The following facts will give you the real scoop on sugar so you can choose foods wisely:

• Evaluate the nutritional value of a whole food product. Naturally occurring sugar and refined sugar are chemically identical. The significant difference arises when looking at the total nutrient composition of a food. Fruit, for example, will have naturally occurring sugar AND vitamins, minerals and fiber. Soda, a refined sugar product, will have carbohydrate from sugar, but no other nutritional benefit.

• Replace refined sugar products with nutrient-dense foods. The average American consumes approximately 12 – 20 teaspoons of sugar daily. The biggest contributor to dietary sugar intake is soft drinks, followed by candies, cakes, cookies and fruit drinks (not 100% juice). Decreasing the number of servings of these “empty“ calories and substituting water, 100% fruit juice, milk and whole fruit will decrease refined sugar intake and increase the nutrient density of the diet.

• Read food labels to make intelligent food choices. On the food label, naturally occurring sugars and refined sugars are lumped together under the “sugars“ category. The way to sniff out the added refined sugars is to look at the ingredient listing on the Nutrition Facts label. Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose or sucrose listed within the first several ingredients signals a high refined sugar content.

The bottom line is that sugar itself will not directly cause disease in Americans. It is a diet filled with low-nutrient-dense food and an inactive lifestyle that will cause a multitude of health problems to arise.

For additional information please contact NIFS at 317.274.3432.