Added Sugar Calculations for Healthy Food Bank Hub Created By: Alison Kaufman, MS, RD, LDN Jewish Family & Children’S Service of Greater Boston

Added Sugar Calculations for Healthy Food Bank Hub Created by: Alison Kaufman, MS, RD, LDN Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Boston

All sugar, whether natural or processed, is a type of simple carbohydrate that your body uses for energy. Grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy foods all naturally contain carbohydrates and/or naturally occurring sugars.1

"Added sugar" refers to sugars and syrups added to foods during processing. Desserts, sodas, and energy and sports drinks are the top sources of added sugar for most Americans.1

The goal is to determine how much added sugar is in a recipe for the Healthy Food Bank Hub vetting process. This involves the following steps:

1. Determine whether there is added sugar in any ingredients 2. Determine how much added sugar is present 3. Compare the amount of added sugar to the limit of less than 5% of calories

Sources of Added Sugar

If all grains, vegetables, fruit, or dairy are unsweetened then they do not contain any added sugar.

Ingredients to look for include: cane juice and cane syrup, corn sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate and nectars, honey, malt syrup, or molasses

Common foods with added sugar include: salad dressings, jam and jelly, ketchup, juice drinks, flavored or sweetened drinks, canned fruit packed in syrup, flavored milk or yogurt, and breakfast cereals (including most ready to eat cereals, flavored oatmeal, and granolas), baked goods, and desserts.

Grams of Added Sugar per Teaspoon How Much Added Sugar? 1 Teaspoon Sugar = 4 grams Refer to the grams of added sugar per teaspoon in commonly found sweeteners to the right. 1 Teaspoon Packed Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup = 4.5 grams Refer to the exchange lists for meal planning for: sweetened versions of grains, vegetables, fruit, and 1 Teaspoon Honey = 5.5 grams dairy. Using the standard serving sizes, subtract the grams of naturally occurring carbohydrate from added sugars.

Exchange Lists for Meal Planning

Food Group Carb Calories (grams) Grains - per 1 oz equivalent (28 grams dry weight or): 1 slice bread, ½ English muffin, ¼ bagel, ½ hamburger bun, ½ 6” pita or 1 mini pita, ¾ cup dry cereal, ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or 15 80 cereal

Vegetables – per ½ cup equivalent: 1 cup raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup cooked or raw vegetables, ½ cup vegetable juice

Starchy (corn, peas, potato, plantain, sweet potato) 15 80

Non-starchy 5 25

Fruits – per ½ cup equivalent: 1 small piece, 1/8 cup dried, ½ cup fresh, frozen or canned, ½ cup 15 60 fruit juice

Dairy – per 1 cup equivalent: 8 oz milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1 ½ oz sliced or 1/3 cup shredded cheese Skim or 1% 12 90 Low-fat 2% 12 120 Whole 12 150

Meat - per 1 oz equivalent: Very lean meat 0 35 Lean meat 0 55 Medium-fat meat 0 75 High-fat meat 0 100

Non-Meat Alternatives – per 1 oz equivalent: Beans, peas and lentils, cooked, ¼ cup 10 50 Egg, 1 large 0 80 Seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), ½ oz or 2 Tbsp 2-4 90 Nuts, ½ oz 2-4 90 Nut butter, 1 Tbsp 3 100

Oils (teaspoons) 0 45

Use these conversions to compare measures in a recipe to exchange list measures:

1. Pounds of Produce to Cups Vegetables: http://www.almanac.com/content/measuring-vegetables-recipes Fruit: http://www.almanac.com/content/measuring-fruits-recipes

2. Recipe Ingredient Conversion Calculator: http://www.cooks.com/rec/convert/

Adapted from Boston University Sargent Choice Nutrition Center Exchange Lists for Meal Planning Handout Original sources: MyPyramid Food Guidance System (www.mypyramid.gov) and American Diabetes Association/American Dietetic Association Guide to Exchanges for Meal Planning © 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved

Food Label Example: Honey Nut O’s

From Food Label:

Serving Size: ¾ cup = 28 grams = 1 ounce Calories 110 Total carbohydrate 22 grams

1. Calculate Grams from Added Sugar Per Serving

Formula Nutrition Facts Label (grams) Total Carb in 1 Ounce 22 grams -15 Grams/Ounce -15 grams/ounce = Grams Added Sugar = 7 grams added sugar

2. Calculate Calories from Added Sugar

Formula Calories from Added Sugar Grams Added Sugar 7 grams x 4 Calories/Gram x 4 calories/gram = Calories Added Sugar = 28 calories added sugar

3. Calculate % Calories from Added Sugar

Formula % Calories from Added Sugar Calories Added Sugar 28 calories added sugar ÷ Total Calories ÷ 110 calories = % Calories Added = 25% calories added Sugar sugar

4. Does the Added Sugar Meet the Limit of Less than 5% Total Calories?

Are % calories from added sugar less than 5%? (if yes, approved; if no, not approved)

Is 25% less than 5%? No

So this food is not approved

Recipe Example: Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt Serves 8 Per Serving: Calories 137; Fat 1g; Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 32g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 63mg

3 limes (approximately, see above) for the zest and juice needed below.

Lime Yogurt: 2 cups non-fat vanilla yogurt 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 Tablespoon freshly grated lime zest 1 Tablespoon lime juice

Fruit Salad: 1 large ripe honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks 1 pint strawberries, sliced (2 cups) 1 cup blueberries 1/4 cup lime juice 2 Tablespoons sugar

1. Are there sources of added sugar?

Yes:

Ingredient Amount in Recipe Nonfat vanilla yogurt 2 cups Sugar 4 Tbsp

2. Calculate Grams from Added Sugar for Each Ingredient

Yogurt:

Formula Grams of Sugar in Exchange List 33 grams is from the food label Serving http://www.stonyfield.com/produc Total Carb in 1 Cup 33 grams ts/yogurt/smooth-creamy/fat- -12 Grams/Cup -12 grams/cup = Grams Added Sugar = 21 grams added free/french-vanilla sugar/cup

Formula Grams in Recipe Total Carb in 1 Cup 21 grams x Cups in Recipe x 2 cups = Grams Added Sugar = 42 grams added sugar in recipe

Sugar:

Formula Teaspoons in Recipe Tbsp in recipe 4 Tbsp x 3 Tsp/Tbsp x 3 tsp/Tbsp = tsp sugar in recipe = 12 tsp

Formula Grams in Recipe Tsp sugar in recipe 12 tsp x 4 grams/tsp x 4 grams/tsp = grams sugar in 48 grams sugar in recipe recipe

Total:

Formula Grams Total Added Sugar in Recipe Ingredient a grams 42 grams + Ingredient b grams + 48 grams = total grams of added 90 grams added sugar sugar in recipe in recipe

3. Calculate Calories from Added Sugar

Formula Calories from Added Sugar Grams Added Sugar 90 grams x 4 calories/gram x 4 calories/gram = Calories Added Sugar = 360 calories added sugar

4. Calculate % Calories from Added Sugar

Formula Total Calories in Recipe Calories per Serving 137 calories x Servings x 8 servings = Total Calories in = 1096 total calories Recipe

Formula % Calories from Added Sugar Calories Added Sugar 360 calories added sugar ÷ Total Calories ÷ 1096 calories = % Calories Added = 33% calories added Sugar sugar

5. Does the Added Sugar Meet the Limit of Less than 5% Total Calories?

Are % calories from added sugar less than 5%? (if yes, approved; if no, not approved)

Is 33% less than 5%? No

So this food is not approved