Page 207 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

47

ADDED SUGARS AND

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

f you remember nothing else about sugar and sweetness
from this book, remember that the simplest, most healthful
Igoal you can set in this arena is to keep the amount of added
sugar as low as possible. Although the Daily Value is 50 grams, the
American Heart Association recommends keeping it to 25–36
grams per day.

AHA-RECOMMENDED DAILY SUGAR VALUES

Men 9 teaspoons 36 grams 150 calories
Women 6 teaspoons 25 grams 100 calories
Children 3–6 teaspoons 12–25 grams 50–100 calories
(depends on age
and caloric needs)

Also under the heading of sugar-related “good intention,
wrong abstention” is the tendency among many consumers to
believe that added sugars that are either naturally derived or
zero-calorie are more healthy.
Much marketing has gone into convincing us that anything
“natural” must be healthier than something artificial. Some
of the naturally derived sugar sources like agave nectar and
maple syrup do have nutrients, whereas all the nutrients have
been stripped out of table sugar. But you’d have to consume
unhealthy quantities of those natural sweeteners to reap any
health benefits, so it’s a moot point. Added sugars behave basically
the same way in the body, whether we’re talking about white sugar,

196 how to be a Conscious Eater

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