Originally published September 26 2005
Atkins tries to educate consumers about added sugars
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Given that the average individual consumes 158 pounds of sugar a year, many health proponents at Atkins are educating the population to read the labels on their power bars and energy drinks. Often, "energy" and "health" bars are twice as sugary as donuts and include dangerous processed (white) sugars.
The next time you seek an "energy boost" from one of your favorite nutrition bars, think about this fact: a chocolate peanut butter PowerBar Performance bar is packed with 20 grams of sugars (contributing to this are the added sugars high fructose corn syrup with grape and pear juice concentrate).
Nutritionist Colette Heimowitz, MSc, vice president of education and research for Atkins Health & Medical Information Services, believes consumers need to consider whether the consumption of added sugars is really good for them.
Heimowitz has very clear advice on this matter for consumers -- know what is in the foods you are eating and don't rely on marketing slogans.
"We believe, and emerging science confirms, a high refined carbohydrate diet, particularly one that includes a significant amount of added sugars, in a variety of forms, contributes to many health-related concerns.1-3 Thus, it's crucial to read the labels on all packaged foods," she says.
Many Americans believe that if a product is labeled "low-fat" or "low-carb" or includes the words "health" or "healthy," it must be good for them.
However, this conclusion is not always true and with just the slightest bit of effort, consumers can begin to make wise food choices.
Consumers must read both the Nutrition Facts label and the list of ingredients to find added sugars.
If the product is labeled "low-carb," be sure there are no added sugars; moreover, if it contains sugar alcohols, be sure they don't exceed 20 grams, which can cause some people gastrointestinal discomfort.
Identifying added sugar The Nutrition Facts panel will tell you whether there are sugar grams in a product, but it does not separate added sugars from those that are naturally occurring and integral to the product.
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