I used to love ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks! It felt like the perfect "treat-yo-self" indulgence, especially on those days when you just needed a little extra comfort. But recently, I discovered something shocking: that cozy, delicious drink contains a whopping 50 grams of sugar! That's double the daily amount of sugar recommended—in just one drink!
It's no secret that our world is swimming in sugar. What might surprise you is just how much sugar is sneaking into nearly everything we eat, even savory foods! Sugar isn't just hiding in sweet treats anymore; it’s lurking in unexpected places—under different names, in different forms, carefully disguised to keep us unaware.
That's exactly why I decided to write more on this topic. We need to start looking closer, questioning more, and uncovering what’s really in our food and drinks. It’s time to dig deeper into the world of sugar—what it is, where it’s hiding, and why it matters.
Healthy Guidelines and Risks
The compound affects are starting to show. Research has shown major health issues being linked to sugar intake, and with the addictive nature of sugar, this seems to be a growing problem.
An article by Dr. Mercola states that, "Excess sugar is a primary dietary factor in countless chronic disease states, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s." He also stated, "The main problem with sugar, and processed fructose in particular, is the fact that your liver has a very limited capacity to metabolize it... All that excess sugar is metabolized into body fat, and leads to all of the chronic metabolic diseases we struggle with..."
"Many studies have indeed found a strong and accurate link between refined sugar intake and cancer risk," according to Dr. Mercola.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, "shows that those with the highest sugar intake had a four-fold increase in their risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest intakes. That’s 400%! Just one 20-ounce soda increases your risk of a heart attack by about 30%."
American Heart Association Guidelines for Added Sugar Intake |
Men - NO MORE THAN 36 grams per day |
Women- NO MORE THAN 25 grams per day |
Children & Teens- LESS THAN 25 grams per day & drink NO MORE than 8 oz. of sugary beverages a week |
Hidden Sugars in Foods
If you are looking at a food label and see words that end in -ose or -ol, you can make a safe bet that these are sugars or sugar alcohols. Remember sugar alcohols are often not categorized under sugar or added sugar on a label, but are their own category. This means that if you are trying to figure out how much sugar is in a food, you have to look deeper at the ingredients and not just the grams of sugar listed on the label. According to an article by Dr. Mercola, "Added sugars hide in 74 percent of processed foods under more than 60 different names."
Here is a great list of 11 different foods and drinks with a ton of HIDDEN SUGAR. One that you might not expect is yogurt. According to another article, "Fruit flavored yogurt, for example, can contain upwards of 19 grams of sugar; 12 grams of which is added sugar."
Check out this source for ways the food industry gets around the sugar concern.
Kids Are Being Targeted
The food that is served in public schools is often terrible and full of preservatives and sugars. The snacks served might be even worse, including those fruit gummies and refined/processed sugary carbs. Even popular breakfasts advertised on TV for kids, such as cereal or PopTarts are jam-packed with sugar on top of sugary-carbs.
Here is an excerpt from an article by Dr. Mercola:
We’re now seeing obesity in infants, strokes in eight-year olds, heart attacks in 20-year olds, and some 30-year olds require renal dialysis to stay alive. Teens are now getting gastric bypass surgeries. What used to be called “adult onset diabetes” is now more often called “type 2 diabetes,” as it is no longer reserved for adults. What is wrong with this picture? It’s the food.
Instead of eating whole foods—real foods—the contemporary American diet typically consists mostly of sugar, highly processed grains, and a montage of chemicals that are anything but food. Children are surrounded by these fake foods every day, which have a very different effect on their bodies than real food.
A Few Tips & Reminders:
-Eat whole foods (that can be grown and farmed) and avoid processed foods (made in factories and that can't be grown)
-Beware of Fruit Juices, where the juice is derived from FRUIT CONCENTRATE. Usually, that is when the fruit is processed, and it loses the volume, fiber, & Vitamin C that naturally occurs in fruit. When you see "Fruit Concentrate" on a label, think "added sugar".
-Another popular product, especiallyn among the youth, is energy drinks. While these have high levels of caffeine, they also are usually chocked full of sugars.
-Just because a food is salty or savory, do NOT assume there is not sugar in it.
-Be cautious with labels "keto", "sugar-free", "low carb" or "diet". Sometimes these labels are a type of marketing to appeal to consumers as "healthy" but can have sugar substitutes in them.
-Be careful to assume that all foods and drinks advertised as "healthy" or that look "healthy" are truly good for you. There are a few well-marketed products that might surprise you, such as "Vitamin"Water drinks, which are full of different sweeteners.
-Sugar is addictive, similar to alcohol.
-Check out this article for great tips on how to manage and limit your sugar consumption!
-Check out this Glycemic Index Food List and Insulin Index Chart
Sugar Cleanse:
Our friends at The Wellness Progression will be hosting a 21-Day Sugar Detox Cleanse. If you are interested in joining this beneficial detox, click this link to RSVP for the informational meeting on September 9, 2024, and find out more: Informational Meeting
All the best,
Director of Member Experience
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