Too Much Sugar Means Too Many Calories

Think you’re doing yourself a favor by indulging in fat-free cookies, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cakes and pies? Depending on how much you’re eating, you may actually be contributing to unwanted pounds with every bite of that fat-free chocolate chip cookie.

Dr. Barbara Struempler, a nutritionist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says popular low-fat and fat-free foods, especially sweets, may be low in fat but high in sugar.

To keep foods with low or no fat palatable, food manufacturers load them with sugar. Sugar doesn’t contain fat, but it is high in calories. All those extra calories, even in a low-fat diet, can cause weight gain.

The problems don’t stop with your waistline, however. Sugar also causes tooth decay, and now there’s new evidence it may even be bad for your heart.

Recent studies have shown that too much sugar may actually lower a person’s "good" cholesterol, making him more prone to having a heart attack or stroke.

Struempler says there are two kinds of sugar – naturally occurring and added. Naturally occurring sugars are found in fruits and vegetables. Added sugars are found in white, brown or powdered sugars and in corn syrup solids.

They are also found in processed foods like cereals, soft drinks and sweet, snacky foods, Struempler says.

"Everything should be eaten in moderation," she says. "An occasional cookie or piece of cake is OK. Overeating sweets and fatty foods is more of a problem than the foods themselves. If you’re eating fat-free foods but you’re eating too much of them, you’re still going to gain weight."

And chances are, you’re consuming too much sugar.

One teaspoon of sugar contains about 16 calories. A 12-ounce can of soda contains nine teaspoons of sugar, Struempler says. That’s about 144 empty calories – that can quickly add up to unwanted extra pounds.

To cut back on sugar, Struempler suggests tossing a few pieces of fresh fruit into your cereal in the mornings instead of a few spoonfuls of sugar. Opt for unsweetened tea with lemon and diet drinks, instead of sugary teas, lemonades and colas. If you must have a sweetener, try a sugar substitute.

Read food labels to see just how much sugar foods contain.

"Good sources of natural sugar are starchy foods, like pasta, rice, bread and potatoes and starchy vegetables like carrots," Struempler says. "Steer clear of added sugars, which are found in jams and jellies, syrups, colas and candy."

Struempler says moderation is the key.

"All foods have a place in your diet," she says. "No one food is all bad or all good."

SOURCE: Dr. Barbara Struempler, (bstruemp@aces.edu), Extension Nutritionist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-2217