The Difference Between No Added Sugar, Unsweetened and Sugar-free
You may see “no added sugar”, “sugar-free” and “unsweetened” on food labels and this can get confusing at times. Which one is better and whether “sugar-free” actually means zero sugar? Sugar isn’t always bad for you, it is more the way you consume the sugars. The naturally occurring sugar in fruits and veggies should always be a part of a healthy diet, but not the sugars in processed foods, baked foods and sodas, and they should be kept at a minimum level.
The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that less than 10% of your daily calories must come from these added sugars. If your diet is high in sugar and you do not rinse your mouth after having sweets, you’ll have dental cavities by time or sometimes in a very short period of time, your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases will be increased. There are also health risks associated with the use of artificial sweeteners, as they can’t be good for health and they don’t curb your appetite for sweet and you crave for more of those sweet things.
The reason the fructose in fruits and lactose in dairy are often OK is because they come in combo with protein, fiber, natural fats, minerals and vitamins and healthy enzymes. Sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, milk and unsweetened yogurt should all be made a part of a healthy diet. High fructose corn syrup, granulated sugar, maple syrup, honey and brown sugar are all types of added sugar in baking. You will often find the artificial sweeteners in sugar-free foods, including saccharin, aspartame and Sucralose.
Polyols, the sugar alcohols like mannitol or sorbitol are also used in these foods for sweetening purposes s they don’t cause tooth decays, but may act as laxatives in some people. If a certain food has less than 0.5 g rams of sugar per serving, then it is considered sugar-free according to FDA. But you need to be careful with the size of servings and how many servings you can have in one go. Because it is often very easy to eat lots of the sweet foods as they can taste so good and 3-4 standard servings may be your single serving.
The “no added sugar” claim on certain foods like fruit juice, preserves, peanut butter, granola or muesli means no extra sugar is added manually and there may be natural sugars, sugar alcohols or artificial sugars in them. And the “unsweetened” label on food items like apple sauce, iced tea, coconut milk and almond milk means there is none of the sugar alcohols, sweeteners or added sugars but it may steel have the naturally occurring sugars. Out of these food labels about sugar content in foods, your best bet will be the “unsweetened” foods.
But your main concern should be the total nutritional value and health benefits rather than just the sugar or sweetener content of a certain food product. And you can’t go wrong with vegetables and some fruits, as long as consumed in moderation. Please also note that many athletes are reported to have a high sugar diet for sudden energy needs in their intense activities. Or if you work out regularly at the gym you may want a sweet healthy snack after your work out for speedy recovery of muscles and another one early in the mornings when your muscles need that insulin spike. We’re talking more about the normal, average person’s daily sugar needs here.
It is widely accepted by health authorities that there are good fats and good sugar sources and cutting out sugar completely may feel like fasting and some people can easily indulge in sweet things in very large amounts in one go, after eating no sweet for a while. But generally speaking, zero or minimal sugar consumption will lead to lack of appetite for sweet things and not being able to drink tea or coffee with added sugar or not being able to drink fruit juices or soft drinks after a while. You need to try out and see for yourself what works out best for you and your body and what makes you feel better, as long as you minimize your sugar consumption.
Return to Glycemic Index home page
