The most protein for the least calories*
The Skinny on Sugar
Written by registered dietitians
for balanced eating and wellness
Sugar Shakedown
The nutritional villain of the moment is sugar.
Primarily because we eat too much of it.
The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more
than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day (about 100 calories or 24 grams),
55%
FRUCTOSE
45%
GLUCOSE
and that men consume no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar (about
150 calories or 36 grams) per day.
High fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose
6
Women
teaspoons
per day
9
Men
teaspoons
per day
VS
RECOMMENDED
22
teaspoons
per day
and 45% glucose. The body readily
metabolizes glucose for energy, but if this
glucose is not needed immediately, it is
AVERAGE
stored as fat. Fructose can only be
The reality is that to meet these guidelines, we need to slash our sugar
metabolized in the liver. This triggers
consumption by more than half: According to the National Cancer
lipogenesis which cause triglycerides to
Institute, most adults eat about 350 calories a day from added sugar,
either build up in the liver or be sent into
which equals 22 teaspoons of sugar a day.
the bloodstream – either scenario causing
damage. Excess fructose consumption has
We’ve been told that sugar, is sugar, is sugar – it does not matter the
been linked obesity, diabetes, and nonalco-
source whether it is table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey or
holic fatty liver disease that affects up to
agave. Other experts, make the case that it is fructose that is “toxic” to
one-third of Americans.
the body. Not the fructose found naturally in fruits, which has fiber to
slow down the rate of absorption, but the processed kind that is
ubiquitous in the food supply.
Top Foods Containing Fructose
Fructose (g) / 100g
Agave (a succulent plant)
55-90g
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
55g
Honey (most common natural source
of fructose)
23g
While high fructose corn
syrup is the biggest
dietary culprit, how do
the so-called “natural”
sweeteners compare?
While high fructose corn syrup is the
biggest dietary culprit, how do the so-called
DRIED FRUITS
“natural” sweeteners compare? You may be
Dates
23g
Raisins
20g
Figs
18g
surprised to learn that many have more
calories than the same equivalent of table
30g
sugar, and are loaded with fructose.
Here is the
Shakedown on
Natural Sweeteners
Natural sweeteners are often as
sugar, yet their healthier image can
deceive consumers into thinking
they can eat more of the foods that
contain them.
Agave Syrup or Agave Nectar
Embraced by vegans as an alternative to honey,
agave has grown in popularity as a natural
sweetener. Agave has more calories than table
sugar (60 calories per tablespoon versus 40 calories
for sugar), but because it is 1 ½ times sweeter than
sugar, theoretically you can use less of it.
S
Glycemic Index compared to other
sweeteners, it does not mean it is any more
“diabetic-friendly” than other sweeteners
50-90%
T
contains 55 - 90% fructose. In some
cases, it has more fructose than
some high fructose corn syrup.
Date Paste, Date Sugar, Date Syrup
The sweetener that is a bit more confusing is dates. To clarify, we are not talking about fresh dates, which
contain fiber, are naturally high in sugar and rich in antioxidants. The ingredient we are referring to which is
often used in food products like nutrition bars is dried date paste or concentrated date sugar.
Fresh dates
Processing dates
Fresh dates are great! Like fresh foods they have a nutritious
But processing dates changes them. When water is taken
skin, a lot of water and vitamins and minerals. But even a
out of the dates, the concentration of sugar increases.
fresh date is high in sugar: 64% of a date is sugar.
They now contain 70% more calories compared with
fresh dates.
Many protein and energy bars use date paste as the sweetener and binder in lieu of
sugar, but still contain almost an entire day’s worth of sugar? For example, Larabar’s
Cashew Cookie contains only two ingredients: dates and cashews, yet has 18g of
sugar and 230 calories in one 48g bar.
CALORIES
SUGAR (G)
FIBRE (G)
1 Fresh Date
20
4
0.5
1 Dried date (8g)
23
5.3
0.2
1 Tbsp of date paste
45
11
1
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
48
12.6
0
Maple Syrup or Honey
Gram for gram, both honey and maple syrup contain more
calories than table sugar, and nearly half of the sugar content
comes from fructose (40%). For those looking for a less
processed sweetener, these are good options to add to
sweeten your morning oatmeal or tea. However, do not be
duped into thinking they provide much in the way nutritionally – the presence of vitamins and minerals are miniscule
and do not provide anything significant.
Brown Rice Syrup
About one-half as sweet as sugar, brown rice syrup is an
alternative for people who are looking for a fructose-free
natural sweetener. One tablespoon has 75 calories and 11
grams sugar. Not all brown rice syrups are the same. For
example, 62 DE is 62 Dextrose Equivalent, while 22 DE, is 22
Dextrose Equivalen0,t so it has much less sugar.
A Simple Choice:
Simply Protein
At Wellness Foods, we are committed to offering the most
amount of protein for the least amount of calories and
sugar, without using artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols.
Simply Protein recently further reduced the grams of
sugars in our soy and whey protein bars from 3 - 4 grams to
1 gram. How? We removed brown rice syrup and, instead,
use inulin (a soluble fiber that has a slightly sweet taste)
and healthy nut butters that hold the bar together. Many of
the mainstream protein bars contain more protein than
sugar (several even list sugar as the first ingredient). Simply
Protein’s nutrition facts speak for themselves: One Simply
Protein bar contains 140 calories, 15 grams protein, 1 gram
sugar and 9 grams fiber.
No matter what the source of sugar is, one tenet remains:
It is important to note where sugar in your diet is coming
everyone needs to reduce the total amount of added
from. Wherever possible, if a food has added sugar in it, it
sugars in their diet. The key is to make sure that when a
should also be a good source of protein, and preferably
food does include added sugar, it also is providing some
fiber, as well.
nutritional value in the way of protein, fiber and other
nutrients like calcium or iron. Once your clients learn to
There’s no harm being an avid label reader to look at the
recognize sugar in all of its forms, they may be surprised
nutrition information panel to see how much sugar is
at how many foods that are not necessarily sweet contain
actually inside. Remember four grams of sugar is equivalent
sugar, and how much sugar is in it (think ketchup, salad
to one teaspoon! Look at the list of ingredients to point out
dressing, breads, barbeque and Asian sauces).
hidden sources of sugar. If sugar is listed in the first 3
ingredients, you may want to pass on that item.
Don’t forget a Simply Protein Bar or snack. Keep it in
your bag or desk for when you are tempted to reach for
an empty calorie, sugar bomb!