Sugar in bowl and sugar cubes blue BG

Clearing Up the Confusion about Sugar
Bridget Swinney MS, RD, LD

August 21, 2024 General /Family

Sugar is a popular topic. You’ve probably heard Americans eat too much of it, how that leads to tooth decay and other health issues and even how it affects children’s behavior. You might hear friends say, “that pasta has too much sugar”, or your mom say, “my blood sugar is high.”

But what is sugar anyway?
Is it really all bad?
How can you tell? square-suger

It’s time to clear up the confusion about sugar!

What is sugar?

Simply put, sugar is a general term for a sweet tasting substance that dissolves in water. We most often think of sugar as table sugar, the white crystals you might use in a cookie or cake recipe. But sugar can describe many different things in our food.

What are the different types of sugar?

Imagine links to a chain. The links can be the same or different. One “link” of sugar is called a simple sugar. Examples of simple sugars (also called monosaccharides) are glucose, fructose and galactose. Fructose is the sugar that naturally sweetens fruit and fruit juice. Glucose is what your brain and muscles use for energy.

If you put two sugar links together, you get a compound sugar (also called disaccharide). Examples of compound sugars include:

Lactose

Lactose (the type of sugar in milk, breastmilk and some dairy products) is made of glucose and galactose. If someone has lactose intolerance, they are missing the enzyme to break down lactose into its smaller sugar parts.

Sucrose

Sucrose, or table sugar, is made up of glucose and fructose. Sucrose can be made from sugar cane or sugar beets. The confusion comes in here because we call sucrose sugar but “sugar” also describes other sweeteners.

Honey

Honey, made by bees from the nectar of flowers, is a combination of glucose and fructose.

If you put long chains of sugars together, they form starch,
also found in plants. Corn syrup is made from converting corn
starch into its simple sugars. Grains like oats, wheat and rye
also contain starch.

What is sugar?

Simply put, sugar is a general term for a sweet tasting substance that dissolves in water. We most often think of sugar as table sugar, the white crystals you might use in a cookie or cake recipe. But sugar can describe many different things in our food.

What are the different types of sugar?

Imagine links to a chain. The links can be the same or different. One “link” of sugar is called a simple sugar. Examples of simple sugars (also called monosaccharides) are glucose, fructose and galactose. Fructose is the sugar that naturally sweetens fruit and fruit juice. Glucose is what your brain and muscles use for energy.

If you put two sugar links together, you get a compound sugar (also called disaccharide). Examples of compound sugars include:

Lactose

Lactose (the type of sugar in milk, breastmilk and some dairy products) is made of glucose and galactose. If someone has lactose intolerance, they are missing the enzyme to break down lactose into its smaller sugar parts.

Sucrose

Sucrose, or table sugar, is made up of glucose and fructose. Sucrose can be made from sugar cane or sugar beets. The confusion comes in here because we call sucrose sugar but “sugar” also describes other sweeteners.

Honey

Honey, made by bees from the nectar of flowers, is a combination of glucose and fructose.

If you put long chains of sugars together, they form starch,
also found in plants. Corn syrup is made from converting corn
starch into its simple sugars. Grains like oats, wheat and rye
also contain starch.

energy

Compound sugars and starches are broken down to smaller parts and eventually into glucose, that your body uses for energy.

How to Find Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label
square-suger

1% Low-fat Milk

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 110

Total Carbohydrate: 13g

Dietary Fiber: 0g

Total Sugars: 12g

Total carbohydrates include fiber, sugar and sugar alcohols.

Includes 0g Added Sugars

Chocolate Milk

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 170

Total Carbohydrate: 28g

Dietary Fiber: 1g

Total Sugars: 28g

Includes 17g Added Sugars

Natural sugar from lactose is 11g; 28-17

Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols are another type of sweetener and their name often ends in “ol”. Examples include sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, mannitol, erythritol and isomalt. Sugar alcohols are often found in sugarfree gums, some candies, and sugar-free chocolate. They can have 25-50% fewer calories than sugar and don’t raise blood sugar as much as table sugar does. Sugar alcohols are broken down differently in the body and (except for erythritol) can cause gas and have a laxative effect in large amounts! Tummy symptoms can start after eating about 10-20g of sugar alcohols.

sugar-cube

Added sugar vs Natural sugar:

Sugar alcohols are often found in sugar-free gums, some candies, and sugarfree chocolate.

sugar-cube-multi

How Much Sugar is Too Much?

sugar-cube-multi
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The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugar each day to no more than 6 teaspoons for women and no more than 9 teaspoons for men.

While your body needs glucose for energy, too much sugar has been linked with health problems. Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is quoted as saying, “The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.”

The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugar each day to no more than 6 teaspoons for women and no more than 9 teaspoons for men. This includes all types of sugars and sweeteners that contain calories.

Are some sugars healthier than others?

When it comes to better food choices, generally the less
processed, the better.

Table sugar has about 45 calories per tablespoon.

If possible, opt for natural, less processed sugars like
molasses, brown sugar, and honey.

Natural sweeteners have a few more calories, but less can be used due to their sweetening power.

While agave syrup or nectar is often labeled as healthier
than sugar, its high fructose content could be a problem if
you eat a lot of it.

Sneaky Sugar

Sometimes food manufacturers use other names for sugar on the Nutrition Facts Label. Check the list of ingredients for sneaky sweetener names like:
suger-left
suger-right
suger left responsive
suger right responsive

REFERENCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltitol
Quote from Dr. Hu: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
Chocolate Milk–Sprouts brand; Regular 1% milk: Great value brand; walmart.com
61 Names for sugar; Ohio State University; https://fcs.osu.edu/sites/fcs/files/imce/PDFs/Sixty_One_Names_Sugar_handout.pdf

Side-Lying Hold

  1. For the right breast, lie on your right side with your baby facing you.
  2. Pull your baby close. Your baby’s mouth should be level with your nipple.
  3. In this position, you can cradle your baby’s back with your left arm and support yourself with your right arm and/or pillows.
  4. Keep loose clothing and bedding away from your baby.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

Cross-Cradle Hold

  1. For the right breast, use your left arm to hold your baby’s head at your right breast and baby’s body toward your left side. A pillow across your lap can help support your left arm.
  2. Gently place your left hand behind your baby’s ears and neck, with your thumb and index finger behind each ear and your palm between baby’s shoulder blades. Turn your baby’s body toward yours so your tummies are touching.
  3. Hold your breast as if you are squeezing a sandwich. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Instead, bring your baby to you.
  4. As your baby’s mouth opens, push gently with your left palm on baby’s head to help them latch on. Make sure you keep your fingers out of the way.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

Clutch or “Football” Hold

  1. For the right breast, hold your baby level, facing up, at your right side.
  2. Put your baby’s head near your right nipple and support their back and legs under your right arm.
  3. Hold the base of your baby’s head with your right palm. A pillow underneath your right arm can help support your baby’s weight.
  4. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Bring baby to you instead.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

Cradle Hold

  1. For the right breast, cradle your baby with your right arm. Your baby will be on their left side across your lap, facing you at nipple level.
  2. Your baby’s head will rest on your right forearm with your baby’s back along your inner arm and palm.
  3. Turn your baby’s tummy toward your tummy. Your left hand is free to support your breast, if needed. Pillows can help support your arm and elbow.
  4. To protect your back, avoid leaning down to your baby. Instead, bring your baby to you.
  5. Reverse for the left breast.

This hold is useful when:

Laid-Back Hold

  1. Lean back on a pillow with your baby’s tummy touching yours and their head at breast level. Some moms find that sitting up nearly straight works well. Others prefer to lean back and lie almost flat.
  2. You can place your baby’s cheek near your breast, or you may want to use one hand to hold your breast near your baby. It’s up to you and what you think feels best.
  3. Your baby will naturally find your nipple, latch, and begin to suckle.

This hold is useful when: