All-Natural Sugar Fits Today’s Healthy Lifestyles Pounds PerYear U.S. Per Capita Sucrose and Total Caloric Sweeteners Calculator 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Year Deliveries* for Domestic Food and Beverage Use, 1970-2002 Total Sucrose \M19 913 91h 919 \9BE 98> \9RB ya) \994 997 qqtd qa0? Calendar Year *Per USDAestimates, adjusted for 29% losses Source: USDA. Economic Research Service, Briefing Room. Sugar and Sweetener Yearbook Tables: Excel (.xIs) Spreadsheets, Tables 50 ond 51. http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/sugar/Data/data.him.Table 502—Last ERS Update: September 2003. Table 51—Lost ERS Update: June 2,2003. (NAPSA)—Amid growing concerns about preservatives, more and more health-conscious consumers are looking to natural foods. In the process, many have rediscovered an old favorite: sugar. Of the 26 sweeteners commonly usedin foods today, few are all-nat- ural like sugar. Sugarcan be a natural, healthy part of a balanced lifestyle. A basic carbohydrate, it provides essential fuel for muscles, organs and brain function. The sucrose in your sugar bowl is the sameas the sucrose in fruits and vegetables. A teaspoon of sugar has only 15 calories but, surveys show, most Americansbelieve it contains 75 or more. This may be one reason consumersuseartificial sweeteners. Things that sound too good to be true, however, usually are. The calorie savings with artificial sweeteners aren’t as great as most people think. Chemistry makes artificial sweeteners taste “sweeter” than sugar and change the way foods The SugarAssociation, Inc. March 2004 @ and drinks taste. Artificial sweeteners don’t bake the same as sugar either. Sugar helps dough rise and adds texture, body andflavor. While some blame sugarfor the nation’s rising obesity rate, sugar consumption has actually decreased in recent years. Some studies suggest people are inclined to eat more of foods labeled “sugar-free.” Despite fears, eating sugar doesn’t cause diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetics can eat moderate amounts of sugar as long as they count it in their carbohydrate allowance. The ADA also says “sugar-free” products are not necessarily “carbohydrate-free.” Read nutrition and ingredient labels. Some sugar-free foods may actually contain more calories than the version with sugar. An analysis by the Institute of Medicine found no link between sugar and hypertension or hyperactive behavior, either. For more information, visit www. sugar.org.
