Sugars Added to 68 Percent of Foods: Here's How to Slash It

This is the season for sweet surprises, special treats and indulgent bliss. But the amounts of added sugar year-round, on ordinary days, is staggering. Most of this added sugar is in processed foods, as food makers have learned long ago that to increase sales, just add sugar. Or high fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrate, or any of the other sneaky forms of caloric sweeteners that practically act in the same way in our body. We've come to understand, over the last few decades, that caloric sweeteners not only add to overall caloric intake - leading to overweight and obesity - but also have direct effects on the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other metabolic adverse outcomes. In a new paper in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Barry Popkins and Corinna Hawkes review the current global trends in sugar intake -- especially sugary drink intake. Here are some of their interesting findings: 68 percent of packaged foods and beverages contain added sugars This finding comes from analyzing a representative sample of American households, looking at what they buy, and then examining the nutritional profile of these products. Governments around the world are looking to reduce sugar in the diet The authors look at tactics and policies undertaken by countries, which include: Taxation: 5 countries in Latin America and Europe are trying this: Chile, Mexico, Finland, Hungary and France. There are a few small islands (such as Samoa and Mauritius), and a city (Berkeley ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news