Hidden Sugars in Your Morning Coffee

Did you know that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day? This amounts to an extra 350 calories. It is estimated that over 30 million Americans drink specialty coffees including mochas, lattes, espressos, café mochas, cappuccinos and frozen/iced coffee beverages daily. While coffee is a staple for many morning rituals, it’s also where excess sugar and calories are consumed. With little to no nutrition, these sugary beverages may offer a quick pick me up and sugar rush, but the sugar crash that follows can leave you feeling just as sleepy and hungry again an hour later. If you’ve been searching for places to cut calories in your diet, your morning cup of joe could be a great place to start.

Excess sugar in these beverages contributes to the development of obesity, tooth decay, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Reducing the added sugar in your coffee can have great health benefits over time and you may notice a reduced craving for sugars as well.

When too many calories of added sugar are consumed, there is less room for more nutrient-dense foods and drinks. It’s not necessary to avoid all sources of added sugars, however; when the amount of added sugar exceeds the recommendation, try to cut down.

Recommendations: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the World Health Organization recommend less than 10 percent of calories come from added sugars. That's about 12 teaspoons (48 grams of sugar) in a 2,000-calorie diet.

At 25 teaspoons of sugar, Starbucks’ Hot Mulled Fruit contains more than double the recommended maximum adult daily intake. While a grande (medium) White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream from Starbucks contains 15 teaspoons, more than the daily amount recommended for an adult (based on a 2000 calorie diet)… in one beverage! A can of Coca-Cola contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar.

Sugar can be listed under many different names. Examples of sweeteners and sources of added sugars include: brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, maltose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, sucrose, white granulated sugar, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, cane crystals, fruit juice concentrate, cane sugar, glucose, raw sugar, corn sweetener, syrup, crystalline fructose and invert sugar.

You can find information on the sugar content of many of your favorite specialty drinks here.

Tips for reducing sugar:
· Ask your barista to include one less pump or use sugar-free syrup or sweetener
· Order a smaller size
· Make your drink at home to gain more control over the ingredients used

Bottom Line: Plan to reduce the sugar in your coffee over the course of a few days or weeks. You’ll notice over time that you no longer crave as much sugar. Honey and agave are not necessarily “better” forms of sugar. Sugar is sugar. One might taste better to someone, but all added sugar contributes to added calories.

Written by: Stephanie Coburn, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

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Added Sugar: Choose Less and Do More for Your Health

Sugar seems to be an added ingredient in most food and beverage products these days. It’s easy to exceed the recommended threshold of 25g of added sugar, or about 6 teaspoons a day. For perspective, this is about one candy bar, one 8oz serving of soda or 1 cup of sweetened yogurt. It’s important to understand why we need sugar, as well as the difference between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. Our bodies rely on sugar to provide energy. In fact, the brain’s preferred energy source is glucose (sugar). Without enough glucose, we can feel tired, dizzy, confused and lethargic. Many healthy foods, such as fruits, grains and dairy, contain naturally occurring sugars. However, processed foods often contain added sugar to improve flavor and extend shelf life. Consuming too much added sugar can lead to an increased risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

How can we reduce our sugar intake? All or nothing is not a practical, long-term solution. We make over 200 food-related choices every day and it would be nearly impossible to make 200 perfect choices every time. Being healthy is about selecting nutritious food most of the time. These choices will add up to improve health. No choice is too small. Although this can be said about any diet or nutrient, it seems to resonate with sugar in particular. Cleanses and detox diets pop up every week promising big benefits by cutting out unhealthy foods in the short-term. Sugar is almost always removed during these crash diets.

Most of us know eating too much sugar is bad for our health, but can we really expect to cut it out completely? Of course not. Making a food or food group forbidden often leads to overconsumption. Our best intentions at the start of the day can fail when hunger sets in. The solution? Allow for moderation and enjoyment of food without going overboard. Making smart choices is easier when you plan ahead. Aim to eat a healthy snack or meal every three to four hours. Health and healthy choices are on a continuum and every good choice you make will bring you closer to achieving good health.

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Nutrition Label Gets a Makeover

The U.S. Food and Drug administration recently revealed that the nutrition label will be getting a makeover with updated nutritional information on packaged foods sold in the United States. The changes were made in an effort to increase awareness among consumers about what is in their food and help people make informed choices about what they feed themselves and their families. The Nutrition Facts label has been a resource for Americans for more than 20 years, providing information on calories, fat and other nutrients. The updated label has some improvements that make it even easier for consumers to make healthy food choices.

Most manufacturers will be required to use the new label by July 26, 2018. The key updates of the label include:

• The new design will highlight “calories” and “servings” and the requirements for servings sizes will more closely reflect the amount of food people typically eat. The last serving size requirements were published in 1993 and the amount people eat and drink has changed significantly since then.

• Certain food products will now have “dual column” labels; one label will provide “per serving” nutrition information while the other will provide “per package” nutrition information. “Dual columns” will be used for products with multiple servings, such as a pint of ice cream. Packages that are between one to two servings, and which people typically consume in one sitting (such as a 20-ounce soda), will be labeled as one serving.

• Daily values for nutrients will be updated to remain consistent with the Institute of Medicine recommendations.

• Vitamin D and potassium will include actual gram amount in addition to percent daily value since deficiencies of these nutrients are common.

Bottom line: The nutrition label has been a valuable resource to consumers for more than 20 years, but it is no secret that what we eat and the amount we eat has significantly changed over time. The updates will more accurately provide nutrition information based on typical serving sizes and will help further guide people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. And remember, the healthiest foods, such as fruits and vegetables, don’t need a nutrition label at all!

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High Fructose Corn Syrup: Bad or Really Bad?

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a popular sweetener that is widely used in processed foods. Unlike sugars such as lactose and fructose, HFCS does not occur naturally in nature. HFCS is created in a laboratory from cornstarch and was first used in the food supply in the 70’s when corn prices were inexpensive. HFCS quickly grew in popularity. During this time, the country’s obesity rates also rose. The increased consumption of HFCS left researchers wondering if there was an association between the two.

The most common foods that contain HFCS include breakfast cereals, beverages, canned fruits, snack foods, desserts, soups and dairy products. Due to a large population of kids and adolescents consuming HFCS-containing products and the staggering number of obesity rates among this group, researchers reviewed the literature on the association between childhood obesity and HFCS consumption.

The article, published in the Journal of Pediatric Obesity, included four systemic reviews and two meta-analyses. Results of these systemic reviews and meta-analyses were mixed; while two of the systemic reviews concluded there was no association between consumption of HFCS and childhood obesity, the other two systemic reviews demonstrated a possible link between consumption of HFCS and childhood obesity. The meta-analyses found that consumption of HFCS, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, may contribute to obesity in children. The researchers determined that while the evidence linking consumption of HFCS and obesity in children is inconclusive, there is well-established research on the association between excess calorie intake and reduced physical activity and rising rates of childhood obesity.

Bottom line: HFCS provides empty calories; it is recommended to limit the amount of empty calories in the diet as these add to total calorie intake but are devoid of nutrients. Since HFCS is used in processed foods, limiting your intake of processed foods will help reduce your consumption of HFCS. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against frequent consumption of soda, fruit drinks and sport beverages and recommends paying close attention to portion sizes if these beverages are consumed. Following these recommendations and encouraging exercise are proven methods to help reduce and prevent obesity in children.

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Cutting Sugar Quickly Improves Children's Health

Childhood obesity is on the rise, and it is well known that this condition can lead to major health problems in adulthood. A recent study investigated the role of added sugar in childhood obesity and addressed whether sugar is harming health or whether the weight gain associated with added sugar is contributing to illness over time.

The study, published in the journal Obesity, included 43 obese children between the ages of 9 and 18. The participants had one or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome and were considered at high risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes. On average, the subjects had been getting about 27 percent of their daily calories from sugar.

            

The participants were partnered with dietitians who replaced all high sugar foods in their diet with other types of carbohydrates with no added sugar. The goal was to replace the sugary foods in their diet without lowering body weight or calorie intake. Due to budget constraints, the study only lasted nine days. However, significant health improvements were demonstrated in this short time. The participants had a 10-point decrease in their LDL cholesterol, a 5-point drop in diastolic blood pressure, and a 33-point drop in triglycerides. Their fasting blood sugar and insulin levels also improved.

            

Bottom Line: Making small changes to reduce children’s sugar intake may have a significant metabolic impact in a short amount of time, independent of changes to weight. In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a new nutrition label that would list the amount of added sugars in a product. This change would help parents limit the amount of added sugars in their children’s diets. 

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