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:

  • Milk, yogurt, canned and dried fruit, and fruit juice all contain natural sugar, which will be part of the grams of carbohydrate.
  • Sweetened yogurt, milk, and fruit will contain both added and natural sugar.
  • Sugar alcohols are listed separately and are included under total carbohydrate.

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
  • Agave nectar
  • Barley malt
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Cane sugar
  • Coconut sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Dextrin
  • Dextrose
  • Dehydrated cane juice
  • Fructose
  • Fruit juice concentrate
  • Glucose
  • Invert sugar
  • Maltodextrin
  • Maltose
  • Mannose
  • Maple syrup
  • Palm sugar
  • Panocha
  • Rice syrup
  • Sorghum syrup
suger-right
suger left responsive
  • Agave nectar
  • Barley malt
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Cane sugar
  • Coconut sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Dextrin
  • Dextrose
  • Dehydrated cane juice
  • Fructose
  • Fruit juice concentrate
  • Glucose
  • Invert sugar
  • Maltodextrin
  • Maltose
  • Mannose
  • Maple syrup
  • Palm sugar
  • Panocha
  • Rice syrup
  • Sorghum syrup
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

Feeding a 6-7 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon and from a bowl, never from a bottle.

Feeding a 10-12 Month Old

Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.

Feeding a 8-9 Month Old

Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.

Tips

Mom new born home

Breast milk and formula feeding:

Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.

As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.

feeding solid foods

Feeding solid foods:

Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:

  • Can sit up and hold up their own head.
  • Opens their mouth when they see food.
  • Can close their lips around a spoon.

To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.

Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.

Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker.  Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.

Babies under one year should NOT have honey due to the risk of botulism. Also, babies should not have foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.

All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.

Feeding Cues

Feeding a 4-5 Month Old

Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.

Feeding a 0-3 Month Old

Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.

Growth Spurts

Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.

They often happen at these ages:

two-three-weeks

2 to 3 Weeks

6 Weeks

three-months

3 Months

six-months

6 Months

What foods can I get?

Authorized Food List
Authorized Food List

Where can I shop?