Sugar is a very common ingredient in many foods and beverages, so it can be very easy to overdo it with added sugar. Many condiments, sweet beverages, and processed foods can make us go overboard on added sugar.
The bad news is that too much added sugar in the diet is linked to many health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. It can also lead to extra calories in the diet, which can lead to unwanted weight gain.
While sugar itself doesn’t cause diabetes, too much sugar in the diet can put you at higher risk for this condition. Your current health status also affects life insurance rates and coverage.
For example, you can get term insurance for a diabetic person, but it may be more expensive. It’s also important to regulate your blood glucose levels by managing added sugar in your diet to help manage diabetes.
You need to understand the basics of sugar and the different types of sugar found in our diet. We will also discuss tips to cut back on added sugar, the importance of life insurance, and how life insurance relates to health.
The Basics of Sugar
Sugar is a carbohydrate that is broken down into glucose by the body. Glucose is the body’s preferred source of energy. There are two types of sugar in our foods: natural and added sugar.
Natural sugar is the type found naturally in foods like fruits and dairy products. Added sugar is the type of sugar that is added during processing and is found in many processed foods and beverages like condiments, soda, candy, junk food, and desserts.
Your body breaks down both types of sugar the same. However, foods with natural sugar have many other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Foods with added sugar typically have very few vitamins and minerals.
One common type of sugar that is added to processed foods is high-fructose corn syrup. It is a cheap product and adds a sweet flavor to foods. You will find high fructose corn syrup in sweet treats, condiments like barbeque sauce and ketchup, cereals, and sugary beverages like soda.
Added Sugar Recommendations
Too much added sugar can cause more inflammation in the body and is linked to chronic health issues like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Too much added sugar can raise LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, which is linked to heart disease. Heart disease and Type 2 diabetes are among the top leading causes of death in the United States.
Consuming too many foods with added sugar can add extra calories to the diet, which can lead to weight gain. This can make it more difficult to manage and maintain weight in a healthy range. Being overweight or obese is also linked to many chronic health issues as well.
There are no recommendations for natural sugar because these foods are usually nutrient-dense. The recommendations only apply to added sugars because of the health risks associated with too much added sugar.
The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that less than 10% of your daily calories should come from added sugar. If your daily recommendation is 2,000 calories, this would translate to 200 calories, which equals 50 grams or a little over 12 teaspoons.
The American Heart Association has stricter guidelines for added sugar. They recommend no more than 100 calories (six teaspoons) for women and no more than 150 calories (nine teaspoons) for men. On average, Americans consume about 58 grams or 16 teaspoons of added sugar daily, which exceeds the recommendations.
5 Tips to Cut Down on Added Sugar
#1 – Read the Nutrition Facts Panel
The Nutrition Facts panel on food labels is a wealth of information, including information about the sugar content. The panel will list the number of grams of added sugar, and you can compare this amount to the daily recommendations for added sugar.
For a visual reference, you can divide the grams of sugar by 4 to get the amount in teaspoons. For example, if a food has 40 grams of added sugar, that means it has 10 teaspoons. This gives you a visual representation of how much sugar is in your food or drink.
#2 – Review the Ingredient List
The ingredient list on a food label can also give you clues as to the amount of sugar in the food. The higher in the ingredient list that you see sugar, the more sugar that food has. Also, the more times you see any type of sugar in the ingredient list, the more sugar the food contains.
It can be tricky to find all the different names for sugar on an ingredient list because there are so many. Any of these names in the ingredient list indicate sugar:
- Corn syrup
- Fructose
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Honey
- Maltose
- Molasses
- Sucrose
- Syrup
#3 – Limit or Avoid Sugary Beverages
Sugars, sports drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and many coffee beverages are high in added sugar. For many Americans, the biggest source of added sugar in the diet is coming from sugary beverages.
These drinks just add extra calories and extra added sugar and they don’t help you feel full. They actually may make you feel more hungry.
One 20-ounce soda has about 65 grams of sugar, which is over 16 teaspoons of sugar. This can help you see the added sugar in some beverages. Just imagine dumping 16 teaspoons of sugar into your cup and drinking that.
The best option is to limit or avoid these sugary beverages and drink water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee instead. Drinking water instead of sugary beverages can also help you save money. Low-fat or fat-free milk is another low-calorie option that has lots of vitamins and minerals to replace sugary beverages.
#4 – Eat Fruit for Dessert
If you are craving something sweet for dessert, try some fruit. You get the sweet taste you want but with fewer calories and lots of vitamins and minerals.
#5 – Try Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are controversial but can give you a sweet taste without the extra calories. It is a myth that these products are dangerous or cause cancer, but they should be consumed in moderation.
These sugar substitutes give products a sweet taste but don’t add calories or added sugar. They also don’t cause a rise in blood glucose levels like sugar can cause. They can be a substitute for a sweet taste without the same effects as added sugar.
Life Insurance and a Healthy Diet
Life insurance is necessary to protect your family in case something unexpected happens to you. It can provide financial protection to cover end-of-life and burial expenses.
Life insurance rates are based on age, gender, medical history, current health status, and occupation. Young and healthy people have the lowest life insurance rates. It’s helpful to compare life insurance rates online or work with an insurance agent to find the best coverage and rates.
These five ways to reduce sugar can help you choose foods and beverages with less added sugar. This can help prevent unwanted weight gain and lower your risk for chronic diseases. A healthy diet is important to help boost health but can also help lower costs for life insurance.