Sugar is added to commercial foods for sweetness and because it acts as a preservative.You may think sugar is easy to spot on food labels.It may be.On the other hand, many commercial products contain sugar you don't know about.This sugar may contribute to weight gain over time.I've put on 15-20 extra pounds n the last few years.To help me lose weight I am giving up sugar for two weeks.This is an easy decision for me because I don't eat candy and rarely eat desserts.Yet I am probably consuming more sugar than I realize.Sugar has many names and "Prevention" magazine lists them in its website article, "Want to Cut Down on the Sweet Stuff? You have to Find it First." As the article notes, "Sugar hides behind many different names on food labels." These names include sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.Commercial products may also contain honey, maple syrup, molasses, confectioner's sugar and brown sugar.A WebMD article tackles the hidden sugar issue in its article, "Sugar Shockers. Foods Surprisingly High in Sugar." Obviously cake mixes, cookie mixes, jams, ice cream, and carbonated drinks contain sugar."But it can be downright shocking to see 12 grams of sugar in bottled pasta or barbecue sauce," the article contends.Consumers shouldn't be fooled by labels that say "whole grain," "fat-free," or "excellent source of calcium," the article continues.Worse, beverages that brag about being 100 percent juice may contain added sugar.The only way to ferret out hidden sugar is to read every food label.Fruit chillers, apple sauce, canned fruit in light syrup, and pudding cups all contain sugar.So do snack cakes, muffin mixes, bakery products cereal bars, instant hot cereals, flavored milk, bottled tea, energy drinks, cocoa, yogurt, and frozen breakfast products, according to the article.Reading this list made me race to the pantry.I am a careful shopper and made-from-scratch cook.Did I have sugar-packed products on the shelves? A few.Red pepper relish, a product I enjoy, contains 25 grams of sugar.Honey peanut butter contains honey and sugar and, according to the label, has 5 grams of sugar per serving.Four cheese spaghetti sauce, a jar that has been on the shelf for months, contains 6 grams of sugar.Mayo Clinic warns about sugar and sweeteners in a website article, "Added Sugar. Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners." Sugar is a natural ingredient in some foods, the article notes.It is used in commercial products to help yeast to rise, bulk up baked goods and ice cream, and balance the acidity of tomatoes.Too much sugar can lead to tooth decay, poor nutrition, weight gain, and an increase in triglycerides.The American Heart Association has set standards for sugar consumption.Women should eat no more than 100 calories from sugar a day.Men should eat no more than 150 calories.One hundred calories equals about six teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories equals about nine.Many Americans exceed these recommendations.Giving up sugar for two weeks has turned me into a sugar detective and I will probably be one for the rest of my life.I avoid sweetened cereal (hot and cold), fruit drinks, condiments, including salad dressings, sweetened tea, and baked goods made with sugar."By limiting the amount of added sugar in your diet, you can cut calories without comprising nutrition," Mayo Clinic explains.Do you need to lose a few pounds? Become a sugar detective and cut back on sugar.It's easier than you think!Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson.
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