Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) by Nicole M. Avena Read Free Book Online Page B

sugars you thought you did. Some labels will tell you how many servings are in the entire package. Others will tell you how many pieces are in a serving size. This package tells you one serving is 61.5 grams. Do you know off the top of your head how many Skittles would equal a 61.5 gram serving? (In case you’re wondering, it’s approximately sixty-two Skittles.) Most people don’t walk around with scales and weigh out every morsel of food before they eat it. The point is that nutrition labels aren’t always very user-friendly, and you often have to do some quick math in your head in order to get a realistic assessment of how much of something you’re actually eating.
    INGREDIENTS LIST
    Below the nutritional information on a label is a list of ingredients. Importantly, these ingredients are listed in order of the amount contained in the product, with the ingredients contained in larger amounts listed first. In this example, you can see that sugar is the primary ingredient in Skittles. Sugar is often one of the first few ingredients listed on the nutrition label. If the word sugar isn’t there, in its place might be another one of the many terms used to describe different types of sugars (see the box on this page ), such as high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, and dextrose. All of these terms can be confusing and difficult to remember. However, an article published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association offers some helpful tips for determining whether added sugars are contained in a food or beverage (see sidebar). Also note that “sugar” can appear more than once in the list of ingredients. For example, on the Skittles label, you actually get “sugar” from the majority of the ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, apple juice from concentrate, dextrin, and modified corn starch).
How to Identify Added Sugars 6
• Search the ingredient list for the word syrup , such as corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, and agave syrup.
• Look for words ending in “ose,” such as fructose, glucose, sucrose, and dextrose.
• Compare the unsweetened version of a product (plain, unsweetened yogurt or plain shredded wheat cereal) with the sweetened version (fruit-flavored yogurt or frosted shredded wheat) to estimate the amount of added sugars.
• Beware of a “health halo” effect. Some added sugars, such as brown rice syrup, may sound healthful but they are just other forms of added sweeteners.
    2,000-CALORIE DIET
    It’s important to note that these nutritional guidelines are pretty generic; they are the same for a third-grader as they are for a high school football player and a middle-aged businesswoman. In reality, however, each person is different and has different daily nutritional needs depending on a wide variety of factors, including age, activity level, preexisting health conditions, and so on. Further, not everyone needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain their body weight; some may need more, while others need less. One label cannot possiblyindicate the diverse caloric and nutritional needs of so many different people. Rather, nutritional labels are meant to serve as an average or a guide. While it is important to interpret nutrition labels with caution and to understand that they are not tailored specifically to our individual nutritional needs, nutrition labels do provide us with essential information about the ingredients and nutrients in the foods we eat, which can be especially helpful to consider when trying to cut down on the consumption of certain ingredients in particular.
    All You Can Eat, or All You Should Eat?

    The discussion of serving sizes brings up another important point to consider when evaluating any diet: portion sizes. Since the 1970s, the portion size of many foods and beverages has increased, not only in our favorite fast-food establishments but also at other restaurants, in schools, and at home. 7 , 8 This increase in portion sizes