Reducing Sugar for long-term benefits

cutting back on sugar consumption doesn’t have to be painful

Brittany Powelson |

Did you know the amount of sugar we eat has slowly been going up? Since 1950, the average person’s sugar intake has gone up by 39 percent. Having this much sugar in our children’s diets (and ours!) can have negative effects on our health, including dental cavities, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many other diseases or medical problems that last into adulthood.

Cutting down on added sugar should be an important goal for everyone, especially for parents who are setting the stage for how children will eat as adults. You might think lowering sugar intake is easy as cutting out cookies and soda. That is a good place to start, but there is most likely sugar hiding in some common foods you have in your house. These sugars are called “added sugars” because they are added to the food while it is being made. Some examples of hidden sugar-containing foods include whole-grain cereals, instant oatmeal, frozen foods, pasta sauces, and many condiments, such as ketchup.

How do you know if a food has added sugars or not?

Added sugar can have more than 50 different names on the nutrition facts label. Some of the most common names are cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, raw sugar, crystal solids, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Reading nutrition fact labels for hidden sugars is a good way to make sure your child isn’t getting too much sugar.

How much is too much?

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to no more than 10 percent of daily calorie needs. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 48 grams of sugar per day. For kids whose calorie needs are most likely lower – about 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day – sugar intake should be even less. The American Heart Association recommends only 12 to 16 grams of sugars per day for young kids, and 20 to 32 grams for pre-teens and teens. For reference, four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon.

Lowering sugar intake in your family’s diet does not have to be done overnight. By making small changes over time, the task becomes easier. Below are some tips and tricks for lowering the amount of sugar in your diet:

1. Look at a product’s ingredients list for added sugars among the first three ingredients. If sugar (by any of its names) is found in the first three, the product is most likely too high in sugar for your family. Try choosing a food with less sugar instead.

2. You can also lower added sugar intake at home by cooking from scratch. When making your own food and treats, you are in control of how much sugar is added to the food. In most recipes you can cut the amount of sugar in half and intensify sweetness by replacing sugar with vanilla, nutmeg, or cinnamon. Applesauce and bananas are also great natural sources of sweetness.

3. When at the grocery store, try to choose more whole foods and fewer processed foods (foods that come in a box or package). 

4. When you find yourself grabbing for cookies or candy to satisfy that sweet tooth, try eating some fruit instead. Fruits have natural sugars in them called fructose. You might find that your sweet tooth can be satisfied with fruit.

5. Sugary foods do not have to be completely taken out of your diet. Try to limit the amount of sweets you actually eat or save them for special occasions.