Posts Tagged ‘sugar percentage’
New Love
My love for ready-to-eat foods, especially cereals, is no secret. That passion fell under severe constraint a few years ago when I became better informed about the impact of excessive sugar in my diet. I quickly came to recognize that I was very much addicted to sugar and took steps to address that fact by significantly adjusting my eating behavior.
One of the most dramatic changes for me, since I already had chosen to avoid one of the highest sources of sweetness: the liquid sugar of soft drinks, was to control the amount and kind of cereals I ate. I learned to pay close attention to serving size.
My rough guideline was based on the World Health Organization’s suggestion to constrain intake of free sugars to 10% (or better yet, 5%) of total calories consumed. I converted that from the very approximate measure of a 2000 calorie diet to allow myself less than 50 grams of added sugars per day.
To allow some occasional treats, I aimed to stay at or below 10 grams of sugar per meal. That required BIG changes in the cereal I eat at breakfast. To stay below 10 grams, I was rarely able to allow myself to have a full serving size.
When it came to my much-loved granola cereals, it was hard to stay below 10 grams without constraining myself to a mere 1/4th cup.
Since Cyndie does our grocery shopping, I relied on her creativity to explore the options available on store shelves. One day, she came home with a package of granola that I had never seen before, Gustola Granola.
Oh. My. Gosh. I now have a new love.
The first flavor was pistachio, pumpkin seed, coconut, & cherry. It had a tantalizing hint of saltiness mixed in with the natural sweetness of the ingredients that I think is one of the great appeals. It enhances the mix of flavors wonderfully. Best of all, in a serving size of 1/3rd cup, there are only 4 grams of sugar.
That is amazing compared to the granola cereals I have previously been eating.
After finishing off that first bag of pistachio, etc., I pleaded with Cyndie to find more. She decided to order online, direct from the source and served up an additional flavor: almond, pecan, cashew.
Just as good to my taste buds and equally low in sugar. I’m in love!
I can’t wait to try the other flavors.
Now when I measure out the normal quarter-cup sized serving I have become accustomed to for breakfast, I can let it overflow just a little and not worry. Only 4-grams in a third-cup!
Every bite is pure joy. Mixed with a fraction of a serving of Fage plain Greek yogurt, I get textures I adore and flavors that are above and beyond satisfying. It’s like a celebration going on in my mouth.
Sorry, Grape-Nuts (5-grams per 1/2-cup) cereal, I’ve got a new love in Gustola Granola.
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Proposed Improvement
I just learned that the FDA is now proposing that companies declare a daily percent value for sugar! That would be a dream come true for me. As thrilling as that news was, the details I found in an NPR piece on the subject, “No More Hidden Sugar: FDA Proposes New Label Rule,” left me a little less ecstatic.
Left: The current Nutrition Facts panel on foods. Right: The label changes that the FDA proposed in 2014 would list added sugars. Now the FDA wants the label to list the percent daily value, too. —image: FDA
At their site, I found a fabulous new version of the nutrition label, which they proposed in 2014. What fun! But, that was last year. Why are we still waiting for it?
Not only is the information better displayed, they want to show when sugar has been added to a food. Include the more recent proposal of finally revealing the percentage of recommended daily amount of sugar in the serving, and you have improved the label dramatically.
Unfortunately, it’s only a proposal at this point. I believe we’ve been here before. The strength of the food industry to control the legislation written by our elected representatives, has proved influential enough to get their way in the past. It is my understanding that this is the reason the percentage isn’t shown for sugar on the labels currently in use.
The NPR article indicates that the FDA will take public comment on the new proposal for 75 days, before issuing a final rule. There is no question in my mind about the likelihood that the lobbyists for the sugar industry will be doing what they do best to further their interests during this time, at the expense of common sense and the health of consumers.
Could this be the time when public benefit wins out over the almighty dollar?
How would you react to a food that has 130% of the recommended daily amount of sugar in ONE serving? It’s out there on the shelves already. You just can’t tell without doing your own calculations. If they want the percentage to look reasonable, but they don’t change their ingredients, imagine how small the food industry will need to make their serving sizes.
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Relative Something 