We have all heard the saying, “a calorie is a calorie”.  But, the latest science is calling this thinking into question.

Take almonds. In 2012 it was discovered that a one-ounce serving of almonds (about 23 nuts) has 129 calories as opposed to 160 that’s currently listed on the Nutrition Facts Panel. Interestingly, it has nothing to do with the composition of the almond—rather, how well we chew the nut and how the energy is used by our gut bacteria determines it’s caloric value.

Same concept applies to sugar.  It is true that one teaspoon of sugar equals 14 calories. And the more sugar a person eats, the more likely they are to exceed their bodies nutritional demands and gain weight.

How the body uses sucrose, is the bigger problem.

Sucrose – it’s worse than just an empty calorie.

Sucrose isn’t just about calories injested. Since fructose is a by product of sucrose utilization, the more sucrose consumed translates to the more fructose on board. Excessive fructose is metabolized in the liver and converted to fat. Excessive fructose intake wreaks havoc on health – leading to fatty liver disease, inflammation, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

How much added sugar is in that food?
Reading food labels to determine how much added sugar is in foods can be tricky.

In sugary beverages like soda and sport drinks, it is straight forward, since the only calorie source comes from added sugar or HFCS. In the label below, for 1 serving of soda, there are 39 gms of added sugar. Each teaspoon of sucrose is 4gms.
Take total grams of sugar 39gms /4 =  to get total teaspoons of sugar per serving.  There are ~ 10 teaspoons of sugar in 12 ounces of Coca Cola.

Fast Fact: 1 teaspoon of sucrose (table sugar) = 4gms.
1 teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories.

Here is the tricky part. Let’s look at this container of Chobani Yogurt.

For one serving, the label states there are 16 gms of sugar. Does that mean there are 4 teaspoons of added sugar in this yogurt?
Not necessarily.

Some of the sugar is from milk sugar (lactose) in the yogurt that is included in this sugar count.

The difficulty of figuring out how much sugar is from added sugar and how much is from other carbs already in the food product is particularly mystifying.
Especially for mixed foods that contain both carbs and added sucrose like granola bars, cereals, jams and more.

In truth, this yogurt only has 3 teaspoons of sugar (12 gms), not the full 16 gms.

Until the New FDA Food Label that will list ADDED SUGAR is released in 2018, we have to be our own “added sugar” detectives.

The good news is that we have help with this FREE app from Fooducate. The Fooducate Sugar Rush App allows you to see how much sugar has been added to foods!
Just scan the barcode of any product and instantly see a breakdown of naturally occurring and added sugars.

How are you going to spend your 6 Teaspoons Today?

I love this campaign, because the goal is not to eliminate sugar, just to eat less. This 6 teaspoon a day recommendation is for all people, with or without diabetes. We have the opportunity to improve the health of our people, starting today.

Think of added sugar more as a special treat or a condiment to be used sparingly and enjoyed.

As for me and Anne, we are going to spend our 6 teaspoons of sugar on a yogurt (3), a few chocolate covered almonds and a little ice cream. What are you going to spend your teaspoons on?

Test your knowledge with our Special Sugar Questions of the Week and thanks for considering the Joy of Six.