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I just read in this months Prevention that to convert the grams of sugar stated on nutritional labels into teaspoons you divide the grams of sugar by 4.2 For example, an 8 oz container of fat free fruit yogurt has 43.1 grams or 10.3 teaspoons of sugar! 8O Doesn't that blow your mind? Totally freaked me out. Thanks for the info on hidden sugar, now I have more to be on the lookout for. EllieFunt
That is really shocking! Sugar really adds up quickly.. Another thing I just learned is that when you drink alcohol, the body has to process it as a sugar. If it isn't burned, it will store as fat. Crazy stuff! Thanks for sharing that with me Elliefunt and Kristin :)
AHHHHHH! I had not idea tha sorbitol was sugar! I assumed it was along the lines of Splenda or sucrolose! OMG.......thanks so much for sharing!
You're welcome. It is never a bad idea to know what some of the "chemicals" are in our food. :) :) :)
I'm a biochemist, so most of those chemical names are familiar to me. However, don't be too alarmed. :) Sucrose is table sugar. Sucrose is also called a "double sugar" (disaccharide) as it contains a glucose and fructose molecule. These two sugars are similar, but glucose forms a 6-membered ring (think hexagon) while fructose forms a 5-membered ring (think pentagon). Sucrose is easily broken down into glucose and fructose and our cells take in glucose. So do not be "afraid" of sugar or glucose. Without glucose, our cells would die - meaning we would die! It's often a matter of HOW much glucose we intake (and how well our body regulates that uptake via insulin). Fructose can be converted to glucose, but only through the liver. It's for this reason, that when one eats fructose, there isn't a spike in the blood sugar (glucose) levels as it takes a while for the fructose to be converted to glucose. This is also why many diabetic foods contain fructose. Some of these sugars cannot be properly metabolized by our bodies. Others, though, are used for cell surface aspects. So don't be afraid of things like sorbitol. Also, some sugars are FAR sweeter than glucose or sucrose. Therefore, far less of them is required in food. With far less sugar present, you don't have the carbohydrate burden. My advice is to simply eat healthy. Choose to get your sugars, barring that token treat, from healthy sources, like fruits. Avoid as much soda, pastry and candy as possible. Use sugar substitutes, but don't become overly dependent on them. That is, if you find yourself dropping 4 packets of Equal in your coffee, reconsider what you are doing. ;)
Thanks for the info. That helps me understand a little more!