It’s another bright, fresh morning in Charlottesville, and breakfast is the first item on the agenda. One option to start the day would be to stop by Krispy Kreme to pick up a gooey Original Glazed doughnut, then pay a visit to Starbucks to grab a Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Another would be to have a healthy breakfast of a half cup of Kellogg’s Low Fat Granola without raisins, an Original Strawberry Yoplait yogurt and an 8-ounce glass of Simply Orange Original juice. Who would ever guess that the “healthy breakfast” contains more sugar (63 grams) than the sugar glazed doughnut and dolce latte (49 grams)? To picture 63 grams, imagine putting 13 teaspoons of sugar — that’s 13 Domino Sugar packets — in a cup of coffee.
Sugar is hidden everywhere, obscured by nutrition labels and masked by ad campaigns. When choosing food items, it is important to consider caloric content, often from sugar, as well as nutrition density. The health-conscious individual’s breakfast may have more sugar and consequently more calories, but it also provides essential nutrients.
The consideration of nutrition labels can play a huge role in an effort to maintain a balanced diet. The label will portray a reasonable amount of sugar, but this amount is only for one serving, and there are often several servings in one container. Thus, the total amount of sugar you consume can be two or more times the listed amount per serving.
An example is Endurance Peach Mango Vitamin Water, which has 13 grams of sugar per serving. One would not be alarmed at 2.7 teaspoons of sugar in a 20-fluid ounce bottle, but the truth is that one serving is only 8 fluid ounces. In one of these bottles there are 32.5 grams of sugar, or 6.8 teaspoons, more than the Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.
“First, it is important to understand how to evaluate the amount of sugar in a food,” Student Health Nutrition Educator Melanie Brede stated in an e-mail. “Food labeling laws require that packaged foods identify sugar content on the nutrition facts label. The amount listed includes both natural sugar — such as fructose in fruit or lactose in dairy products — and added sugar — such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, etc.”
Brede noted that the list of ingredients can help a consumer evaluate a product’s relative amount of added sugar because those ingredients are listed in order by weight. “If you are concerned about your intake of sugars, make sure that added sugars are not listed as one of the first few ingredients,” she stated.
Artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose in Splenda and aspartame in Sweet’N Low, often replace sugar as a sweetener to cut back on calories; however, consumers’ intentions of reducing caloric intake may not always occur.
“Artificial sweeteners tend to create sugar cravings; they only provide the sweet taste but don’t provide the associated blood sugar boost your body expects,” said Certified Health Counselor Susan Dunlap, who offers health guidance, advice and private consultations through Rebecca’s Natural Food. “Because of this, I find that people consume more calories instead to make up for it.”
Brede noted that calories, while problematic in excess, are “essential,” and “sugar is a source of calories ... It is also a part of many enjoyable foods, and enjoyment of food is a good thing. ‘All things in moderation’ applies well to sugar.”
For those seeking to reduce sugar intake, Dunlap recommended several substitutes to refined sugar.
“Sweeteners with a low glycemic index are a better alternative than artificial sweeteners,” she said. “Agave syrup is one that does not have a very strong flavor and is a good sweetener for baking and cooking.”
Stevia, an herb native to South America and Central America, is another sweetener that is undergoing the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process, she noted.
Sugar, though, has some benefits; it is the most accessible form of energy that the human body can use. Just one gram of sugar contains four calories, and if the average person requires about 2,000 calories every day, 500 grams of sugar would take care of basic energy needs. The dissuading factor for this very sweet diet, however, is its nutrition density.
“Too much sugar at the expense of foods rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients leads to a poorly-balanced diet,” Brede explained.
The human body needs a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, dairy, healthy oils, vegetables and fruits — The Food Guide Pyramid — to fuel all the bodily functions.
“It is important to consider the whole food being evaluated,” Brede stated. “For example, both an orange and a cupcake contain some sugar. The orange also contains vitamin C, potassium and fiber, whereas the cupcake is not a significant source of vitamins and minerals.”
Also, frequently consuming more calories than used in a typical day, especially in the form of sugar, can lead to obesity. In recent years, this has become increasingly common in the United States and can result in several health problems, such as Type II Diabetes. Another possible consequence of an excessive sugar intake is mood swings.
“If you consume too much sugar and it increases your blood sugar very quickly, your body produces too much insulin to compensate,” Dunlap explained. “This will quickly turn into a sugar low which can leave you spacey, shaky, grouchy or nauseated. If a person does this all day ... it will make their systems unbalanced and can lead to problems where the body will not function properly. Eventually, the blood sugar spike will also cause adrenaline to be released with the insulin and can make you feel worn out or give you mild depression.”
Although many sources cite sugar as the cause of conditions such as diabetes and hyperglycemia, the act of consuming sugar itself does not lead to these diseases. But an individual with any such blood-sugar related diseases, including hypoglycemia — having too little blood sugar — should be aware of their sugar intake.
Sugary foods can also cause a dentist’s worst nightmare: cavities. A lesser known tooth-related concern brought on by sugar as well is decalcification. The calcium that composes teeth is leached out, leaving teeth sensitive and more susceptible to cavities. A study published in the Journal of Dental Research found that refined white sugars caused significant decalcification, while crude sugar cane juice caused very few to decalcify.
In a world of processed foods it can be difficult to avoid all this sugar and its potential effects, even in seemingly healthy food options.
“Flavored yogurt often contains a significant amount of sugar,” Brede stated. “For those wishing to reduce their sugar intake, one strategy is to buy plain yogurt and add fresh, frozen, or canned fruit to sweeten it. This also provides much more real fruit than flavored or ‘fruit on the bottom’ yogurt.”
Brede also recommended snacking on nuts, whole-grain crackers with cheese or peanut butter, or vegetable sticks with hummus or bean dip. Similarly soda can be substituted fro 100-percent fruit juice, which “provides vitamins and minerals for about the same number of calories,” she stated.
Students can also seek personal advising to establish healthier eating patterns; Brede encouraged students to meet with a Peer Health Educator or with a registered dietitian.
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