The Scoop on Added Sugars

We all should watch our intake of added sugars. Eating and drinking foods with too many added sugars makes it difficult to achieve a healthy eating pattern without taking in too many calories, and can lead to health problems such as weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to no more than 10% of your total daily calorie intake, which is 200 calories a day for a 2,000-calorie eating plan. But what are naturally occurring sugars and added sugars? Here's the scoop: 

All Sugars are Simple Carbohydrates

Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate. As a simple carbohydrate, sugar is a quick and easy source of energy for your body.

When you eat a food with sugar in it - regardless of the type of sugar - your body breaks down the food and uses the sugar for energy. Sometimes it uses that energy right away; other times your body stores it for later.

Sources of Naturally Occurring Sugar in Foods

Sugars in food can be either naturally occurring or added to enhance the flavor or texture of foods and drinks. Some naturally occurring sugars are found in healthful foods. For example:

• Dairy products contain a natural form of sugar called lactose, but they also provide protein, calcium and vitamin D.
• Fruits and vegetables may contain a variety of natural sugars, but they also provide dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
• Grains provide some naturally occurring sugars, as well as vitamins and minerals. And many whole grains are good sources of dietary fiber and may provide additional nutrients, too.

Added Sugars

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. The term 'added sugar' does not include sugars that are found naturally in foods. Added sugar can be found in breads, cereals, energy bars, crackers, ketchup, salad dressings and pasta sauces, not just desserts and sweets. 

Do note that added sugars have many different names. Examples of added sugars include white sugar (or simply sugar), brown sugar, cane juice, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit nectars, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar and sucrose.

These different names for added sugars can be confusing. Fortunately, the new Nutrition Fact Labels include information on the amount of added sugar per serving. So, if you want to know which ingredients are contributing to the added sugar content, look for 'added sugars' on the ingredient list.