Sugar

Growing up we were all told “drink your juice”. The thought was that even though there was sugar in juice, it’s natural sugar; so it must be good for you. The truth is: sugar is sugar; your body does not know the difference between natural sugar and added sugars.

When reading food labels, you will see a listing for Sugar Grams, here is an important calculation to remember:

4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
- So if you drink an 8 ounce glass of orange juice (which contains 31 grams of sugar) you are drinking a little over 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.
- For comparison: 8 ounces of cola has 20 grams of sugar; or just over 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.

I'm not recommending that you drink soda - just pointing out that juice is not the best alternative. Juice calories can add up very quickly. It is much better to eat a fresh orange. You get more fiber, and less sugar than a glass of orange juice. Plus, you are unlikely to eat 3 or 4 oranges, however you would need that many for one glass of juice.

A food is likely to be high in sugars if one of the following names appears first or second in the ingredient list, or if several names are listed in one product.

Brown sugar
Corn sweeteners
Corn syrup
Confectioner's sugar
Dextrin
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt syrup
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Sucrose
Syrup
Table sugar
Turbinado sugar