Sugar Content Surprises...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
April 17, 2010 9:37am CST
I love to learn new things and though it may take me some time, I love to research different things and how they affect me. Several months ago I researched and learned all about portion control and was amazed to find out that ppl are actually eating 3-4 servings at one time and consider it one serving. Now I am learning about nutrition labels…you know their those little charts on the back of practically everything you eat. I’m finding out though that you first have to learn to read them and what they mean.
Now as some ppl know, I’m diabetic so sugar content is my main interest but I’m slowly learning the rest as well. I found that the easiest way to learn is by example so here’s what I’ve learned so far. A standard size Snickers bar contains 18.07g of sugar, now most ppl won’t realize the significance of that. A 2000-calorie diet recommends 40g of sugar daily…so two Snickers bars and you’re pretty much done for the day. So, what I do is when I’m shopping I look at the sugar content and put it in perspective with a Snickers bar.
Consider this: I just bought a bottle of Nature’s Goodness 100% Apple Juice…yes, I know it’s for kids but it’s supposed to be better for you, after all it’s recommended for babies at 6 months old. Now in one serving of this juice…just one (4oz) serving…there are 13g of sugar. Put that in perspective with the Snickers bar. That’s an awful lot of sugar for an infant to have. Also most baby bottles are 8oz. so double that for the standard parent that gives their baby an 8oz. bottle of juice…that’s 26g of sugar! Is it any wonder that kids are growing up overweight.
When you add in the fact that just about every bit of food, even those that aren’t sweet, contain some form of sugar…it’s unbelievable how much ppl consume. Personally I think ppl would be better off mixing up their own juice for their babies rather than the processed stuff but that’s just me. I have found that there is basically no limit on natural sugars that you would normally find in fresh fruits and some veggies so those you can eat all you want.
Do you read nutrition labels on foods? Do you understand the nutrition labels? Have you ever found a food that you thought was good for you but it turned out it wasn’t? What's the most important fact for you on a nutritional label?
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~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]5 people like this
15 responses
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
18 Apr 10
I began my sugar research by reading "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. (Recommended reading when researching sugar food poisoning.) As a consequence of this read I went on a 3 week no sugar diet. It was a bit difficult at first, but it got easier as each day went by. However the results of this sugar fast surprised me to no end!
I was amazed to find that my taste buds were altered in just three weeks. After the 3 week diet, I no longer needed sugar on my cereal, or in my tea. I could eat half a grapefruit without adding sugar, and it tasted sweet. My Taste buds have remained sensitive to the natural sugar in foods, and to this day I no longer crave the sugar I once did.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
17 Apr 10
Good for u, seems as if u have done your homework well. I am not as good as reading labels as i should be but am trying to get better. My last lab work was not good at all so have been really watching what i eat. Thanks for the info. Happy sat. to u.
1 person likes this
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
18 Apr 10
Oh, I am diabetic too, but I don't care anymore with the computations. I was really frantic about those when I first learned I'm diabetic, but sooner or later I just got tired of computing. I got tired of saying 'no' to everything.
If I'm to live this life longer, I could at least enjoy what life has to offer. Enjoying something doesn't mean I have to suffer in the end. I could just control that I don't eat too much. Plus, to always check my blood sugar after meals to check if I did over-do it.
So far so good.
Actually, that was what my diabetologist told me. To never treat myself as an outsider to the food world. It will just make me suffer more that I could not be 'normal'. So, there you go. I no longer compute. So far, never had attacks or something, plus, people won't be too afraid to offer me something.
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
18 Apr 10
Thank you Laydee, I think that folks put too much into doing without. I always take blood sugar reading before a meal and the eat according to the sugar level. I still have a candy bar from time to time but I have also found that I do not crave them like I once did. My biggest problem is weight control since I was diagnosed with diabetes I have gained 60 pounds and cannot seem to get it off. I have started to lose a little in the past couple of weeks but that may be due to better weather and being outside more. or maybe the fresh veggies and like.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159017)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Apr 10
Yes, there is alot of sugar in things. I use honey. I have several nice recipes that I use for the things I fix. I love the flavor and it doesn't hurt my teeth like grain sugar does. I don't totally understand the nutrition labels. Ingredients labels I do. I don't really care one way or the other and I am sorry that you have to play around with it.
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
18 Apr 10
Honey is what I like also, I had always used sugar in my morning coffee until one day we were out of sugar and I used honey, its been honey ever since. I use Splenda or the Great value brand in my baking and it seems to work as well as sugar with less of the bad stuff you find in sugar.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159017)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Apr 10
I am glad to hear you enjoy honey also. It is much better for us.
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
20 Apr 10
Checking ingredient labels on food products is a good habit to get into. I was checking the calorie content on biscuit packets once and I was shocked what I learned! Sugar can be very high in things like juices, cereals etc; items like that can certainly be deceiving. Since I’ve had my daughter I am certainly more conscious of sugar and fat content in foods. Your post is a good reminder how important it is to check what we are consuming. It’s interesting what you said about portion control, I read somewhere that we should only consume servings the sizes of our fist so looking at that most of us would definitely be over eating!
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
17 Apr 10
Ever since i joined weight watchers 2 years ago, i always look at the labels and i stay on a 24 point system per day, so yes i do read the labels...I do not know how much suger i consume ,but i know it is a lot less than what i was eating 2 years ago....
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
17 Apr 10
I have learned to read the nutrition labels and I have found some things that I thought were good for me that aren't. Healthy Choice soups are very high in sodium and yet, you think that they would be a good soup choice. It just shows that you can't judge a book by its cover.
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
17 Apr 10
Fibre. Gotta have fibre.
Three Peak Freen Lifestyle Bran Crunch cookies (31g) have 2g fibre and only 6g sugar.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
17 Apr 10
Yes, I read them, I'm always looking for sodium content. Some things you think there is no salt in and they add it or it has it naturally. Like most frozen veggies shouldn't have added salt, but every once in a while some do. Diet frozen dinners often have a lot of salt. I hate it when I see 1,000 or more on a pizza or soup label for sodium. Lots of cheeses have sodium. But swiss and provolone usually don't, depends though, still have to look.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
17 Apr 10
I did not realize that two candybars would equal what you could have for sugar in a given day. Sadly you are right about everything you posted. Though with the apple juice when they were small I watered it down as they'd get the runs if I didn't til they were close to school age. You are right not many read the portions that are on the boxes as no one in the real world outside of that label really eats those size portions. We are all so accustomed to the oversized portions we get from restaurants and have transferred that to how we eat at home. And of course depending on how you were raised as well. My mom thought since it was just me and her we should be eating for a family of 5! But not to dwell in it but KWIM? Many factors to consider! I'm hoping to get into less processed foods in my household wich isn't always the easiest with kids as they tend to be picky about what they like and not see it for it's nutritional value & for it to help them to grow.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
18 Apr 10
I'm big on reading labels! I have been since I had my first child, I was very concerned about his nutrition. I noticed how much sugar was in baby foods and how many preservatives were in everything! I used to buy juice for my babies but I would water it down 50/50 to give them the vitamin C but not all the calories and sugar. One serving was 4 ounces but since we lived in the desert and they needed a lot of hydration I would dilute it so they'd increase their fluid intake. I made their baby food with a blender most of the time.
My kids didn't know Hostess twinkies or cupcakes existed before they went to kindergarten! I know they probably traded parts of their lunches for that kind of poison but I kept them fairly healthy by packing their lunches and feeding them well at home with a minimum amount of sugar.
Labels are our best friends! I learned portion control a few years ago and I was amazed at what I thought was a portion!
@tjades (3591)
• Jamaica
18 Apr 10
That bit of information is very interesting and informative. The info about the apple juice and the baby is scary if you ask me. It is indeed no wonder our kids are so mnessed up.
With all the processed foods and the lying on labels which many food companies engage in, I do agree that we aught to consider making stuff ourselves.
I do read labels more often than I realise. It seems like a reflex action but the bad thing is that many times I read the labels after I have consumed the product. I really need to pay more attention to the RDA and the nutrient content of the things I eat.
Thanks for sharing Twoey.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Apr 10
Yeah I read them. Important are the serving sizes in combination with the calories and then the ingredients...
@RachelleNH (1396)
• United States
17 Apr 10
Wow, candy bars are dangerous. I avoid them as much as I can. I started reading labels about 2 years ago-when I hit 30 and started gaining rapid weight-and my eating habits hadn't changed! So I limit as much as I can: fat, sugar and calories. My daughter is a big time Coca cola junkie and they're loaded with sugar-one can 40 g of sugar! Ouch..so there's your sugar for the day! I'm surprised about the juice though but they say that fruit has natural sugars.
