Creating Health & Nutrition Nutritive Sweeteners Photo credit: Id-art

made of two simple sugar As a result, in 2015 teaspoon—but no useful Tip molecules, glucose and Americans consumed vitamins or minerals. Thus, To reduce calories fructose, linked together. about 69 pounds of sugar we often call sweetener Glucose and fructose per person per year, or calories “empty calories.” from sweeteners, can also be used inde- roughly 21 teaspoons of This is why we need to read the Nutrition pendently as ingredients. refined sugar per day. This be careful about choosing Facts panel on food Other nutritive sweet- equals 336 calories that foods with “added products. It will eners used as ingredients most of us do not need in sugars,” especially in in foods include high- our diets. foods that we choose for tell you how many fructose corn syrup, corn For example, an children. grams of sugar the syrup, galactose, lactose, 8-ounce can of regular The 2015–2020 food contains. Then and maltose. Fructose Pepsi has the equivalent U.S. Dietary Guidelines compare products. also occurs naturally in of approximately 10 recommends limiting many fruits, while lactose teaspoons of sugar and added sugars to less than Which has less is what gives milk its contains 150 calories. 10 percent of calories sugar? slightly sweet taste. Some Drinks containing high per day, which equates to vegetables have other amounts of added sugar fewer than 200 calories ost of us like “natural” sugars. account for more than 47 for a 2,000-calorie diet, sweet foods. Plus, we can use natural percent of added sugars or fewer than 160 calo- The earliest sweeteners like honey, in the American diet. It is ries for a male child age M agave nectar, molasses, sweet foods available to very easy to take in more 4 to 8 or a female child humans were either fruits and maple syrup at home. sweetener than needed. age 9 to 13. However, or honey. Later, when currently, Americans humans discovered how Sweeteners in Role in Nutrition are consuming roughly to refine the sweet juice Manufactured Foods Refined sugar and similar 270 calories, or 13–17 of sugar cane and then Sugar (as sucrose) and sweeteners are carbo- percent, added sugars sugar beets, it became many other sweeteners hydrates. Our bodies daily. Here, “sugar” easier to make foods are added to many use carbohydrates as refers to all the sweet- sweeter by just adding products in the Amer- energy sources. We eners mentioned. Since refined sugar. ican food supply. One can measure that energy sugar contains calories, The table sugar that sweetener, high-fructose in calories. Sucrose, regularly consuming you buy in the grocery corn syrup, is a common glucose, and fructose large amounts of sweets store, sucrose, is made ingredient in manufactured all contain energy—4 such as candy, cakes, from sugar cane or sugar foods, including cookies, calories’ worth per gram and pies or drinking beets. It is a disaccharide candies, and soft drinks. and 16 calories per sugar-sweetened drinks Kind of Calories per Examine Your Choices Sweetener Teaspoon Food What I buy now What I plan to try Honey 21 Plain whole-wheat flakes Example: Cereal Sugar frosted flakes with some fruit on top Agave nectar 20

Corn syrup 19

Brown sugar 17 My Goal: I will compare Nutrition Facts and ingredient labels on three higher Maple syrup 17 sugar foods or drinks I currently purchase, and choose a lower sugar alternative this week. Granulated 16 sugar can lead to weight gain and listed. The sugar in the list. The ingre- Commonly Used. 17th ed. Phila- delphia: Lippincott, Williams, and and dental cavities. content will include dient listed first is the Wilkins, 1998. Is using honey or other naturally occurring most by weight in that Sollid, K. “New Dietary Guidelines: natural sweeteners a sugars (like those in particular food item. If What Changed and What Stayed better choice than refined fruit and milk) as well various sweeteners are the Same.” January 18, 2016. www.foodinsight.org/new-dietary table sugar? The answer as those added to the high on the list, you -guidelines-americans-2015 is no, if you’re looking for food item. This will might want to choose -changes#sugars. fewer calories. However, help you identify how another food. USDA Economic Research Service. because some are sweeter much added sugar • Examine your choices. “Table 51. Refined cane and beet sugar: estimated number of per than sugar, you can use is in a product—for You can cut down on capita calories consumed daily, by less and save calories example, yogurt, calories by using fewer calendar year.” June 17, 2016. ers.usda.gov/datafiles/Sugar_ overall. For example, in which also has natu- processed foods made and_Sweeteners_Yearbook_Tables/ some recipes you can use rally occurring lactose with sweeteners. For US_Consumption_of_Caloric_ ½ cup of agave nectar and fructose if fruit is example, buy breakfast Sweeteners_/table51.xls. instead of 1 cup of sugar, added. cereals having the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, www.fda.gov. saving 288 calories. See • Check the ingredient least amount of sugars the above table for a list for the specific and add fresh fruit. Prepared by Nancy Yergin, extension calorie comparison. names of added Or purchase low-fat educator, Forest County. Updated by Stacy sweeteners, such as plain yogurt and add Reed, extension educator, Lancaster County. Shopping Tips sucrose, fructose, your own favorite fruit. glucose, high-fructose If you’re thirsty, drink extension.psu.edu One of the best ways to Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences corn syrup, lactose, water and add a slice research and extension programs are manage your sugar or funded in part by Pennsylvania counties, the and maltose. You of lemon, lime, or Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. sweetener intake is to Department of Agriculture. may also see other orange for flavor. read both the Nutrition Where trade names appear, no discrimination refined sugars, such as is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Facts panel and the Sources Extension is implied. confectioners’ sugar, ingredient list on food Duyff, R. L. American Dietetic This publication is available in powdered sugar, Association Complete Food and alternative media on request. packages. Nutrition Guide. 4th ed. Boston: dextrose, maple syrup, Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative • Currently, on the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. action employer, and is committed to providing turbinado sugar, and employment opportunities to all qualified Nutrition Facts panels Office of Disease Prevention applicants without regard to race, color, mannitol (a sugar and Health Promotion. religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender all sugar is listed under identity, national origin, disability or protected alcohol). Sometimes “2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines veteran status. total carbohydrates. for Americans.” health.gov/ glucose is listed as Produced by Ag Communications and Beginning in 2018, dietaryguidelines/2015/ Marketing dextrose. Note the guidelines. added sugar informa- © The Pennsylvania State University 2016 location of the sugar tion will be broken out Pennington, Jean A. T. Bowes & Code UK180 4/17pod Church’s Food Values of Portions