Sugar? So what?
It’s not just me, those other “health nuts”, or dentists who think Americans need to reduce their sugar consumption. The American Heart Association released a statement on Monday saying sugar can contribute to heart attacks. From CNN.com
(CNN) – A sweet tooth could lead to a heart attack, the American Heart Association warns.
Americans are consuming more than 22 teaspoons of sugar each day. And the added sweetness could lead to obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, the group says.
The organization warned Americans to cut back on sugar in statement released Monday.
“Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories,†said Rachel K. Johnson, lead author of the association’s statement. “Consuming foods and beverages with excessive amounts of added sugars displaces more nutritious foods and beverages for many people.â€
The statement focuses on added sugar, which it defined as sugars and syrups added to food during processing or preparation.
Most women should consume no more than 100 calories, or six teaspoons of this added sugar, a day. Men should not consume more than 150 calories, or nine teaspoons, the Heart Association said.
The No. 1 source of added sugar is soda, it added.
“One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 130 calories and eight teaspoons of sugar,†Johnson said.
The Heart Association recommended cutting sugar and maintaining a diet heavy in fruits, vegetables, lean meat, poultry and fish.
Okay so it’s not groundbreaking for most of you. But I remember a time not too many years ago when I knew I shouldn’t eat sugar because it was bad for my teeth and that’s about it. In college, I would sit in class washing down a pack of m&m’s with a soda and think for a second about possibly getting a cavity before I shrugged it off with a another gulp of soda. I’m SO EXCITED to see an association that is generally respected by a lot of people speak out against sugar. Yes, they could have said a lot more regarding the consequences of a diet high in sugar and not all sugars are created equal but it’s a start! I know at the peak of my sugar addiction 100 calories of refined sugar would have been a GIGANTIC improvement for me. My only concern about this article is that people will each just as many sweets but make them sugar-free or diet instead of learning to satisfy those sweet cravings with things like fruit or honey. But it’s a step and I hope some people will look at their diet and make a change for the better because it’s not just about fitting into those skinny jeans anymore (not that it was ever just about that ;)) but it’s about saving or improving your life. The American Heart Association says so!
xoxo
j
This is my (almost) sane quest for insane health. Let's 
WOW,that’s an eye opener! Always new sugar was trouble..but this really says a lot! Thank you!
A lot of people dont realize that sugar is a primary culprit in raising your fat levels. Any unburned carbs such as sugar is converted into triglycerides which is a type of fat; sneaky type of fat…
Ahh sugar, it’s in so much, isn’t it?
As Tracey said, that was an eye-opener!