Sponsored: Added sugar

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Sponsored: Added sugar

The new Nutrition Facts panel will go into effect in a little over a year (July 2018).

For the first time the Nutrition Facts will feature a line for grams of added sugar. Foods like plain milk, whole fruits, and canned or dried beans have naturally occurring sugars, but added sugar is "...sugar or syrup that is added to foods when they are processed or prepared."

Many of us can easily think of sources of added sugar in our meals like sweetened beverages, desserts, and candy - but how about condiments [sauces, ketchup, salad dressing], breads, and pasta sauce which may have "hidden" or be surprising sources of added sugars?

We also tend to think of sugar in its familiar white, crystaline form; but added sugar may appear in many different forms in a list of ingredients: honey, molasses, cane syrup, coconut sugar, evaporated cane juice, malt syrup, maple syrup are just a few.

The new "added sugar" line on the Nutrition Facts panel may help you make better decisions about the foods you choose to eat.

Source: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/what-are-added-sugars