It is rare to find someone who doesn't enjoy sweets. We love sweets because they not only taste good but also make us feel good. Between 1970 and 2005 intake of added sugars in our diets has jumped 20 percent. The average person now consumes 22 to 30 teaspoons added sugars a day. A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that high sugar consumption plays as much a role in heart disease risk as dietary fats. Study participants with higher sugar consumption appeared to have lower HDL and higher triglyceride levels both of which can increase risk of heart disease. With the growing worldwide pandemic of obesity and heart disease the American Heart Association in 2009 released recommendations urging Americans to slash their sugar intake. The new targets: shoot for about 100 calories (6 ½ teaspoons or 25 grams) a day of added sugars if you are a woman and 150 calories (9 ½ teaspoons or 38 grams) a day if you are a man. That's not much! Consider a single 12 ounce regular soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Soft drinks and sweetened beverages are the number-one source of added sugars in Americans' diets.

The main problem with using too much sugar and other sweeteners is that they provide little more than calories often replacing more nutritious foods that contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that fight disease. Extra calories contribute to obesity raising risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. It is important to remember that a calorie of sugar is a calorie of sugar whether it is from white sugar or some type of natural sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup, and agave nectar). You are still adding empty calories to your diet. Once again the best advice is moderation and gradually trying to reduce the amount of added sugars. Since most people could benefit from reducing the amount of added sugars in their diet, here are some tips to help you make your sugar intake as healthy as possible.

• Drink fewer sweetened drinks. You can make a significant reduction in added sugar by eliminating regular sodas, sweetened tea, sports drinks, etc. Choose water more often!

• If you add sugar to your coffee or tea, gradually decrease the amount by weaning yourself down by a teaspoon or packet at a time. Eventually you will get used to it and may even enjoy the more subtle flavors of the beverage. Many herb teas contain spices that help it taste sweet without any sugar added!

• Fruit can help satisfy a sweet tooth. If selecting canned fruit look for it in water or juice without added sugar. Whole fruit is more satisfying than fruit juice. If choosing juice look for 100% juice with no added sugar and limit to one cup a day.

• Use less sugar in the recommended amounts in recipes. You can usually reduce the sugar by 1/3 to ½. Start reducing slowly and experiment. One time I was doubling a muffin recipe and forgot to double the sugar and it turned out fine so I realized I could reduce the sugar next time.

• Choose whole-grain cereal instead of ones coated in sugar or honey. You could also try mixing a low-sugar cereal with a sweeter one. Sprinkle the sweeter one on top only.

• Limit all added sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, cane or beet sugar, evaporated cane juice, and honey. Many of these have been promoted as more "natural" sugars but they still contribute calories and need to be used in moderation.

• Don't worry about the naturally occurring sugar in fruit and milk. Milk contains naturally occurring sugars called lactose and fruit contains naturally occurring sugars called fructose. These foods are rich in nutrients necessary to promote health.

• If a food contains little or no milk or fruit, the "sugars" number on the package's Nutrition Facts label will tell you how much added sugars are in each serving. A teaspoon of sugar has about 4 grams of sugar and about 16 calories. So if the Nutrition Facts on a 20oz bottle of flavored juice drink reports 72 grams of sugar that is the equivalent of 18 teaspoons of sugar!

• Of course a simple way to limit added sugars is portion control. A small muffin eaten slowly savoring each bite contributes much less added sugars and calories than an oversized muffin. Choose small portions of sweets enjoying each bite.

I have included a muffin recipe that the sugar has been cut by 1/3 from the original recipe and whole wheat flour used for white. Splenda or a sugar substitute equivalent could also be used in place of brown sugar if you prefer. Store the baked muffins in the freezer in a Ziploc bag. When you need something to satisfy your sweet tooth for a snack or dessert you can microwave them for few seconds and enjoy!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup quick oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup skim milk or 1% milk
1 egg
¼ cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Combine first 5 ingredients (dry) in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine rest of ingredients (wet) with a whisk. Add blueberry mixture to flour mixture, stirring until moist. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or use muffin papers. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool muffins in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack. Yields: 16 muffins

Nutrition Facts per muffin: 120 calories, 4g fat, .5g saturated fat, 85mg sodium, 23g total carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 10g sugar (some "natural" from milk and berries), 3 g protein.

Consider that a Blueberry Muffin from Dunkin Donuts is listed as having 510 calories, 16g fat, and 51g sugar!

A common complaint voiced by people trying to eat more healthy is they often believe it is more expensive.  With food prices rising and the economy in a challenged state, now is a good time to remind people that even when money is tight and time is short “eating right” is possible.  Below are a few tips on ways to save time and money and still maintain a healthy diet:

• When it comes to fruits and vegetables, fresh isn’t the only option.  In recent years, freezing and preservation methods have greatly improved maintaining the nutritional quality.  Buying frozen or canned fruits and vegetables on sale or in bulk can often save money.
• Even small amounts of planning ahead pay off.  Plan your meals for the week and make a grocery list based on your plan.  Check grocery store specials for the week and use coupons if it is something on your list. 
• Shop after eating a meal or a light snack to resist temptation.  Shopping when hungry leads to impulsive purchases!  Shop the perimeter (outside) of the store first because that is where the more healthy choices are versus the more processed and costly items.
• Generic/store brands can provide good savings and yet the nutritional value is the same.  You can do a taste test on generic brands versus brand names and decide for yourself.
• Stock your pantry with nutritious staples such as quick brown rice, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, barley, canned items such as beans, soup, fruit, tuna, chicken, and salmon.  A well-stocked pantry and freezer prevents frequent trips to the store saving time and money!
• Serve more meatless meals or add extra vegetables and beans to the meat.  Adding beans and corn to taco meat extends the meat and boosts the fiber and nutrition.  You can make a big pot of meat, beans, and corn and freeze leftovers for future meals.  Other less expensive alternative protein sources are peanut butter, eggs, dried beans, peas and lentils.  Keep in mind that a meat serving is 3oz or the size of a deck of cards!  Eating the recommended serving size will save money and help with health!
• Prepackaged, grab-and-go options offer convenience and portion control but can cost more.  Sometimes purchasing items in bulk and individually packaging them at home can save money.  Buy small snack bags and make several at a time. An example would be to purchase a large bag of almonds and count out 23 almonds (1oz) and put in snack bag.  They are ready to go and are a quick easy portion controlled snack you can take anywhere.
• Cut up fruit and veggies over the weekend so you have them ready to eat during the week. 
• Cook extra and freeze it.  When you cook a healthy soup or chili, make extra so you can have leftovers or freeze it for another time.  Soups, cooked meat, pancakes, waffles, rice, etc. can all be frozen to be used in other recipes later or as a meal.  Example:  cook up extra chicken or ground beef and refreeze for another time.  This frozen meat can be used to pull together a crock pot meal quickly.  See chicken barley soup recipe below as an example:

Chicken Barley Chili

1 can diced, undrained tomatoes (14.5oz can)
1 16oz jar salsa or tomato sauce
1 cup quick cooking barley
3 cups water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed (15 oz can)
1 can corn (15 1/4oz) or 2 cups frozen
3 cups cooked chicken (hopefully already cooked and in freezer ready to use!)

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high 4 hours. Makes 11 servings (1 cup). Can serve with low fat sour cream and cheese if desired.

Nutrition Information per cup:  Calories 270, Fat 4g, Sodium, 700mg, Carbohydrate 27g, Fiber 5g, Protein, 32g.


With a little preplanning and effort you can help both your health and your wallet! 

Most people trying to lose weight or simply eat better think about their food choices and what they put on their plates. But what they are drinking each day may be having a greater impact on their health and waistline then they realize. Americans now consume nearly a quarter of their daily calories from beverages according to a 2007 analysis of government data on U.S. beverage trends.

Sweetened sugary drinks are currently the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. This can include soft drinks, fruit flavored drinks, sweetened ice teas, specialty coffee drinks, and even flavored vitamin waters with added sugar. A typical 20oz bottle of soda has nearly 70g sugar which is equivalent to about 23 packets of sugar. A “nutritious sounding” 20oz flavored juice drink like peach papaya has 72g sugar which is equivalent to about 1/3 cup sugar or 6 tablespoons. Most people would never consider adding this much sugar to a drink they were making themselves.

Research suggests that people do not compensate for liquid calories by eating less food. Liquid calories on the stomach may not send the same appetite-suppressing message to the brain that solid food does. Liquids also do not require chewing. Chewing food which takes longer may allow the brain to register that you are satisfied.

Here are some tips to help you “think before you drink” especially as the warmer months approach:

• Reach for good old water! You can make it more appealing by adding lemon wedges or trying something natural like True Lemon packets sold in supermarkets.
• Choose only 100% fruit juice instead of fruit flavored drinks. Juice should still be limited to 4-8oz day. You can also dilute juice with water to lessen calories.
• Instead of whole or 2% milk, switch to fat-free or 1% milk. Milk even though it has calories provides a much better nutrition package than the sugary drinks!
• Ideally, keep regular soft drinks out of the house and skip the super-sized regular sodas when eating out. If you can’t kick the soda habit try to choose diet soda and limit to one or two a day.
• Read the labels: most of the 20oz and 24oz bottles have two or three servings. The calories have to be multiplied by 2 or 3!
• Don’t assume something that says water is calorie-free! Many specialty waters spiked with vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients also now have sugar added.
• Request fat-free milk and sugar-free syrup when ordering special coffees. Try ordering “skinny lattes.”
• Drink alcohol in moderation which means one drink a day for women and two for men. Calories in alcohol can add up quickly!

For more information on the subject of beverages you can visit www.BeverageGuidancePanel.org. In March 2006 the American Journal of ClinicalNutrition published guidelines for beverage consumption that were developed by the Beverage Guidance Panel. These experts reviewed years of beverage research and made recommendations.
 

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