Sugar gets a bad rap when it comes to health. It tastes so good – can it really be that bad for us?
Here’s the truth: not all sugar is created equal.
Naturally occurring sugars—like the fructose in fruit or the lactose in milk—come packaged with valuable nutrients like fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains don’t just satisfy your sweet tooth; they also support heart health and help prevent chronic disease.
Added sugar is a different story. Food companies often add extra sugar to a food to make it taste better, especially if they have removed some of the fat. They might also add sugar to increase the shelf life.
Some products are obviously going to be high in added sugar, like pop, candy, or donuts. But sometimes the sugar hides where we don’t expect it – think bread, ketchup, soup, or cured meat. As a result, most of us are eating far more added sugar than we realize—and our hearts may be paying the price.
It’s well known that a diet high in added sugar can increase risk of obesity and diabetes. Sugar can also contribute to fatty liver disease, chronic inflammation, and high blood pressure – all of which are known risk factors for heart disease.
One study showed that people who got around 20% of their calories from sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people who got only 8% of their calories from sugar.
So how much is too much?
The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends limiting added sugar to no more than 25 grams per day for women (around 6 teaspoons) and 36 grams for men (around 9 teaspoons). Yet the average Canadian consumes 57 grams—that’s a staggering 46 pounds of added sugar every year!
Want to cut down? Try these small changes:
- Rethink granola bars. They are marketed as healthy snacks, but in reality they may have just as much added sugar as a chocolate bar. Look for a bar with less added sugar; even better, try making your own.
- Make water your drink of choice. Love your bubbles? Try carbonated water instead of pop. You can buy it flavoured, or add a few cucumber slices or mint leaves to jazz it up a bit.
- Watch out for breakfast cereals – these can be loaded with added sugar. If there’s a cartoon character on the box, read the label extra carefully.
- Speaking of labels – check the ingredient list. There are dozens of different names for sugar! It might be called sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, malt, syrup or nectar. If sugar is in the top five ingredients on the list, there’s probably too much added sugar in that product.
Eating just ten grams less sugar every day can make a difference to your health. Your heart will thank you!
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This article was sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada. All content is created independently by My Heart – What To Know with no influence from Novo Nordisk.