"Same goes for low-fat yogurts "made with real fruit," "organic" plant-based milks and bottled "superfood" smoothies. Buyer beware: Healthy grocery buzzwords like those often cover up an unhealthy amount of sugar. Added sugars are difficult to quickly spot because many companies use clever marketing to distract consumers, said Nicole Avena, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical School and Princeton University who has studied added sugars."
"To help control sugar intake, start by checking the nutrition label. Since 2021, food companies have been required to list the quantity of added sugars separately from total sugar content. But the plan backfired, Avena said. Companies reduced common sweeteners like refined beet sugar and high-fructose corn syrup but added alternatives, such as monk fruit and the sugar alcohol erythritol, which aren't considered "added sugars" under FDA regulations."
Many shoppers choose products labeled with health-forward buzzwords such as 'all natural' granola, low-fat yogurts 'made with real fruit,' 'organic' plant-based milks, and bottled 'superfood' smoothies. Those labels can conceal high amounts of added sugar and alternative sweeteners. Excess added sugar intake is linked to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar daily, roughly 57 pounds yearly, with about half coming from beverages. Since 2021, labels must list added sugars separately, but manufacturers have substituted nonlisted sweeteners like monk fruit and erythritol, leaving foods even sweeter.
Read at Boston Herald
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