As a dietitian, I have a blind side.  When there appears to be much buzz about a hot new ingredient or food trend, I sometimes quickly discount it knowing inherently there isn’t science behind it.  But then I take a step back, and realize that the crux of my profession is to educate consumers on nutrition, to investigate and understand the science, and to translate the science into practice.

Agave nectar has been one of these food “blind sides” for me.   Everywhere you turn right now, there is concern about sugar consumption (and rightly so in light of the calories it contributes to daily eating habits) and consumers are looking for alternative.  This ingredient has reached high levels of notoriety because it is believed to be a natural sugar with less health impacts.  So I’m moving beyond my blind side today, to share science-based information on agave and other sweeteners it is often used in place of.

The three main sugars talked about today are table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and agave syrup.

Table sugaris the common, powdered white stuff.  Structurally, it is called a disaccharide, a double sugar.  In the body, it is broken down to 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been more vilified than any other food ingredient and without solid reasoning.  This sweetener is processed from corn, and is about 45-55% glucose and 45-55% fructose.  While it has been suggested that HFCS has contributed to obesity, science does not support this claim.

Agave nectar typically comes from a blue agave plant, grown in the Southern part of the US, Mexico and northern South America.  The starchy part of the plant is made into a slurry and then processed so the starch is converted to fructose and glucose.  Agave nectar can range from 55-90% fructose with the remaining being glucose.  It has been given a “health halo” as it’s perceived to be a natural sweetener.

The one redeeming quality about agave nectar is that it appears to sweeter than other forms of sweetener, suggesting that you can use less of it.  But as for the rest?  As the description of each sugar shows, there isn’t much difference structurally between the various sweeteners.  Agave nectar is even processed somewhat similarly to HFCS.  The bottom line is there isn’t much difference between all the sweeteners, and the real goal is to use less of all of them – those added to foods and those already added to food.

Visit www.nuval.com where all these sweeteners lower the score of a food.

Sometimes I like to gauge the reaction of non-health professional parents to information I find startling as a combined parent/health professional.

Case in point:  Last Monday night I was passing time reading a nutrition journal while sitting with other basketball parents while our kids were in tryouts.  I read part of the article out loud to Parent A (dad of 7^th grade boy) and Parent B (mom of 8^th grade boy, 5^th grade girl).  Here’s what I read:

Children ages 14 to 18 years consume the highest amounts of added sugar, at

approximately 34 teaspoons  or the equivalent of 549 calories per day.

I was expecting a reaction of shock and horror from these parents, maybe a “No way, my kid doesn’t get that much sugar.”  Instead, I got these responses:  “Seems about right to me.”  “My son is higher than that so someone must be dragging him down for that to be the average.”

I was floored.

Thirty-four teaspoons of sugar is equal to:

A 12 oz. can of Coke (10 teaspoons)

A bag of skittles (12 teaspoons)

9 Oreo cookies (11 teaspoons)

Thirty-four teaspoons of sugar is equal to about ¾ cup sugar (well beyond a spoonful!).

While it’s likely that kids are getting added sugar from foods like breakfast foods, yogurts, breads, pasta sauces, and flavored milks and not just the junk foods I’ve listed here, it’s still amazing that this is, on average, the level of sugar our kids are getting every day.   Maybe Parent A and Parent B didn’t react more strongly because their kids participate in a variety of sports and are normal weight.  But part of our job as parents is to build healthy eating habits in kids, so that when they hit adulthood and aren’t as active and don’t need all those calories for growth spurts, they have established healthy eating habits and can manage weight and health easily and successfully.

Hopefully, the visuals above it will encourage all parents to consider the amount of sugar and empty calorie foods (those with calories but no positive nutrients) their kids are getting every day.

Visit www.nuval.com to see a system where added sugar lowers a food’s nutrition score.

I’m sticking my neck out today to talk about a topic that many people are passionate about – high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  Sara Lee recently announced that they’re removing high fructose corn syrup from their breads.  As the article states, they’re doing it not because science says HFCS is bad for people, but simply to please moms who purchase their products.  I get their reasons, but I don’t agree with their move as it perpetuates an untruth.  

The reality is that evidence-based science doesn’t support the idea that high fructose corn syrup has harmful effects.  But those who believe it is an “evil ingredient” in food will espouse otherwise.  So set aside this part of the discussion for a minute, and let’s try and find common ground.

Here’s what we do know:

• HFCS is a type of sugar.
• HFCS is used in foods in place of sugar.
• Many foods that are high in added sugar, like regular soda pop, cookies, doughnuts, etc, tend to provide very little positive nutrition.  This is true no matter the source of added sugar. 
• In light of insane rates of obesity in our country, most Americans should closely manage the calories they take in every day, including those from added sugar. 

Mountain Dew launched a version of their soda pop called “throwback” as it’s made from real sugar instead of HFCS.   Just because this product doesn’t contain HFCS, does it mean it’s fine to drink whenever you want?

The problem isn’t really the type of sugar people consume, it’s the fact that most Americans get too much sugar in general, and eat too many foods that have calories coming from added sugar (or fat) with no positive nutrition. 

My advice?  Ignore the hype, and look at the big picture.  Cut empty calorie foods (those with calories but no positive nutrition) out of your eating habits wherever possible.  Every time you eat something sweetened with added sugars, consider taking just one bite or eating 1/4^th or ½ instead of the whole portion.  When looking to cut a sweet craving, choose fruits. 

Visit www.nuval.com to see scores that are lowered by added sugar, no matter their source.

I ran into my neighbor Regina yesterday.  In the Facebook game of posting the celebrity you most look like, Regina posted Fergie (no, not from the Black Eyed Peas, the other Fergie, the Duchess of York).  Regina also owns her own business (www.redladder.com) and works out of her home like I do, so periodically we’ll go to lunch, and chat about what’s new in her world and what’s new in mine.  Often, her questions turn to nutrition, and her latest inquiry is a good one to blog about in light of the attention it’s getting these days.  The topic – sugar.

The question at hand is:  What do we really know about the impact of sugar on health?

From a science perspective, we know that eating high sugar foods causes cavities.  We know there is no direct relationship between high fructose corn syrup consumption and obesity (you can’t always believe the media hype: High Fructose Corn Syrup: Consumer Communications).  Preliminary research is suggesting a relationship for sugar consumption with inflammation and other risk factors for heart disease.

But what we also know is that Americans are eating more sugar than ever before.  Data suggests the typical person gets more than 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day.  That’s more than 350 calories just from sugar.  And while sugar might not directly cause weight gain and obesity, added calories do.

The problem with these calories is where they come from – regular soft drinks, candy and dessert items like cookies.  They’re “empty calories,” providing no nutrients, just calories.   Just the other night I was volunteering at concessions at a high school basketball game.  One girl in particular, who was indeed overweight, came on three separate occasions and got a Coke.  In the span of two hours, she consumed 450 calories straight from sugar.

For kids, these high sugar foods also tend to replace more nutrient-dense foods.  So instead of drinking milk with dinner, kids drink soda.  Employees hit the vending machine for a 3:00 candy bar snack instead of having a piece of fruit that contains fiber, vitamins, minerals and many other nutrients.  These empty calorie, high sugar foods impact our health by edging out healthier options.

While a direct impact of added sugar on health seems a bit elusive, it really isn’t.  So what can you do about it?  Here are some ideas:

For Kids

• As a parent, you set parameters around how much television your kids watch, how late they can stay up at night.  Set a similar rule about beverages – milk is always served at meals, plain water for everything in between.  Soda pop is a treat, to be enjoyed on special occasions only.
• Your kids look up to you.  Give them one more reason to look up to you by helping them have a healthy relationship with candy, desserts and treats.  Sometimes, one small bite is better than a whole bag (for example, treat one Starburst as a treat instead of an entire bag of Skittles).
• Role modeling has great impact on kids.  My coworker Rachel recommends cutting up an apple, sprinkling it with cinnamon, and serving this as apple pie.  Great snack, great dessert, heated or cold!  Fruit is a sweet treat, but has many other positive nutrients.
• When you bake, cut down the sugar in the recipe by 1/4^th.  It may by urban legend, put there’s word out there that recipes today contain much more sugar than recipes in the 1950s did.

For adults

• Often, when you think you’re hungry, you’re thirsty.  Drink a big glass of water whenever cravings for a sweet treat strike.
• Don’t keep sweets and treats in the house, at your desk at work, etc.  Out of sight, out of mind.
• Try sugar free gum, when you’re craving something sweet.
• Consider all the beverages you drink – soda pop, coffees at the coffee shop, juices – and the sugar they contain.  Is there a option with less sugar that you can trade up to?

Visit www.nuval.com to see what products’ scores get dragged down because of their sugar content.