Sugar is confusing-- there are so many types and so much marketing for those types. It is naturally found
in fruits, dairy, and some vegetables/grains-- which are part of a healthy diet-- but it often gets a bad rap!!
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The controversy stems from the fact that the majority of the intake in
the American diet is not from these natural sugars but from “added sugars.”
These are sugars that are added to foods during processing, preparation,
or upon consumption to sweeten the flavor of food and drink. They may be also
added to foods to help with preservation, texture, body, and appearance. There
are many kinds of added sugars, including white sugar, brown sugar, corn sugar,
honey, syrup, and current studies indicate that these typically make up about
15-20% of a person’s total caloric intake! Because of this high intake, recent
government guidelines, as well as those from the American Diabetic Association (ADA), the American Heart Association (AHA), and numerous other agencies, have called to reduce intake of added sugars.
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These days, there are many kinds of sugars, and it is important to
know the difference between them-- especially because the nutrient label does not distinguish between added sugar and natural sugar (read more: Marion Nestle's Food Politics blog post).
Here is a
simple breakdown of common sugars:
