Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Stores are already stocked bears, cards and CANDY! All different kinds of candy’s and desserts. What makes the various sweets is taste good is the SUGAR! It makes food such as desserts and candies to take good. It is recommended by the The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans adding no more than 10% of sugar each day which is 200 calories or about 12 teaspoons.
Do you know how much sugar is in your favorite candy?
- One Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds (King Size) provides 380 calories, 24 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 39 grams of carbohydrate and 36 grams of sugar.
- One Kit Kat wafer bar provides 218 calories, 11 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbohydrate, 20 grams of sugar and 2.7 grams of protein.
- One standard-size Snickers bar provides 215 calories, 11 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrate, 20 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.
- One standard-sized Twix bar provides 286 calories, 14 grams of fat, 37 grams of carbohydrate, 28 grams of sugar and almost 3 grams of protein.
- One standard-sized Butterfinger bar provides 275 calories, 11 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbohydrate, 28 grams of sugar and about 3 grams of protein
- One standard-sized Milky Way bar provides 264 calories, 10 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrate, 35 grams of sugar and 2.3 grams of protein.
- The calories in a marshmallow depend on the size that you consume. Those tiny mini-marshmallows provide only 2 calories per treat. Bigger marshmallows contain about 25 calories.
Do you know how much sugar you are suppose to have in a day?
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration USDA has a advisory report to help the limit the amount of sugar intake based on you age and gender.
- Children (2-8 years old): 120 calories per day
- Children (9-13 years old): 120-250 calories per day
- Girls (14-18 years old): 120-250 calories per day
- Boys (14-18 years old): 160-330 calories per day
- Adult women: 120-250 calories per day
- Adult men: 160-330 calories per day
Do you Understand the affects of Artificial and Natural sweeteners?
According to the book, Beat Diabetes Naturally: The Best Foods, Herbs, Supplements and Lifestyle Strategies to Optimize Your Diabetes Care:
- Sweet fiber is one teaspoon of sugar without the calories. However, it is a combination of other all-natural such as insulin, Tagamet, xylitol and natural favors.
- Tagatose is a natural occurring sugar in milk and 92% sweet as sugar. It is recommended to be used moderately because it may cause diarrhea in large amounts.
- Stevia (Sweet Leaf) is a natural sweetener. It is extracted by the plant Stevia rebaudiana plant and 300 times more sweeter than sugar.
- Xylitol and other polyols such as maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol and erythritol. This artificial sweeteners do not breakdown will especially when heated. It is about 60% as sweet as sugar.
- Splenda (Sucralose) is made with sugar and chlorine molecules. Unfortunately, Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar.
- NutraSweet, Equal (Aspartame) is a very controversial sweetener. The FDA has received more complaints on Aspartame than any other food product/substance. It is 200 times more sweeter than sugar and losing its sweetness when heated.
- Sunset, Sweet One (Acesulfame) does not breakdown in the body. It is similar to saccharin; made from vinegar, acesulfame K and 200 times more sweeter than sugar.
- Sweet ‘n’ Low (Saccharin) is 300 times more sweeter than sugar and not recommended during pregnancy because of safety concerns.
Crazy, right? Read the ingredient and understand what you are eating. People are going to eat what their going to eat.
However, we want you to be aware of the consequence(s). We pass no judgement. We are human. We are hear to help you minimize your intake of sugar craving.
Make a complimentary consultation.
If you have questions on how to read labels: The previous blog, Know Your Labels may help.
References:
1. Very Well Fit: Candy Nutrition Facts: Calories and Carbs
2. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
4. Beat Diabetes Naturally: The Best Foods, Herbs, Supplements and Lifestyle Strategies to Optimize Your Diabetes Care by Michael Murray, ND and Michael Lyon, MD.
5. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
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