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Sugars, Salt & Sodium
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What about sugars?
Choosing a diet low in fat is a concern for everyone; choosing one low in sugars is also important for people who have low calorie needs. Sugars include white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, honey, and molasses; these supply calories and little else nutritionally.
To avoid getting too many calories from sugars, try to limit your added sugars to 6 teaspoons a day if you eat about 1,600 calories, 12 teaspoons at 2,200 caloires, or 18 teaspoons at 2,800 calories. These amounts are intended to be averages over time. The patterns are illustrations of healthful proportions in the diet, not rigid prescriptions.
Added sugars are in foods like candy and soft drinks, as well as jams, jellies, and sugars you add at the table. Some added sugars are also in foods from the food groups, such as fruit canned in heavy syrup and chocolate milk. The chart on the left shows the approximate amount of sugars in some popular foods.
| WHERE ARE THE ADDED SUGARS? |
| Food Groups |
|
Added Sugars (teaspoons) |
| Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta |
| Bread, 1 slice |
|
0 |
| Muffin, 1 medium |
x |
1 |
| Cookies, 2 medium |
x |
1 |
| Danish pasty, 1 medium |
x |
1 |
| Doughnut, 1 medium |
xx |
2 |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, sweetened, 1 oz. |
x |
* |
| Pound cake, no-fat, 1 oz. |
xx |
2 |
| Angelfood cake, 1/12 tube cake |
xxxxx |
5 |
| Cake, frosted, 1/16 average |
xxxxxx |
6 |
| Pie, fruit, 2 crust, 1/6 8" pie |
xxxxxx |
6 |
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| Fruit |
| Fruit, canned in juice, 1/2 cup |
|
0 |
| Fruit, canned in light syrup, 1/2 cup |
xx |
2 |
| Fruit, canned in heavy syrup, 1/2 cup |
xxxx |
4 |
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| Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese |
| Milk, plain, 1 cup |
|
0 |
| Chocolate milk, 2 percent, 1 cup |
xxx |
3 |
| Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz. |
|
0 |
| Lowfat, yogurt, flavored, 8 oz. |
xxxxx |
5 |
| Lowfat yogurt, fruit, 8 oz. |
xxxxxxx |
7 |
| Ice Cream, ice milk, frozen yogurt 1/2 cup |
xxx |
3 |
| Chocolate shake, 10 fl. oz. |
xxxxxxxxx |
9 |
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| Other |
| Sugar, jam, or jelly, 1 tsp. |
x |
1 |
| Syrup or honey, 1 tbsp. |
xxx |
3 |
| Chocolate bar, 1 oz. |
xxx |
3 |
| Fruit sorbet, 1/2 cup |
xxx |
3 |
| Gelatin dessert, 1/2 cup |
xxxx |
4 |
| Sherbet, 1/2 cup |
xxxxx |
5 |
| Cola, 12 fl. oz. |
xxxxxxxxx |
9 |
| Fruit drink, ade, 12 fl. oz. |
xxxxxxxxxxxx |
12 |
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* Check product label. x = 1 teaspoon sugar
Note: 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon |
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Do I have to give up salt?
No. But most people eat more than they need. some health authorities say that sodium intake should not be more than 2,400 mg. Nutrition labels also list a Daily Value (upper limit) of 2,400 mg per day of sodium. Much of the sodium in people's diets comes from salt they add while cooking and at the table. (One teaspoon of salt provides about 2, 000 mg of sodium.)
Go easy on salt and foods that are high in sodium, including cured meats, luncheon meats, and many cheeses, most canned soups and vegetables, and soy sauce. Look for lower salt and no-salt-added versions of these products at your supermarket.
The table below will give you an idea of the amount of sodium in different types of foods. Information on food labels can also help you make food choices to keep sodium moderate.
| WHERE'S THE SALT? |
| Food Groups |
|
Sodium, mg |
| Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta |
| Cooked cereal, rice, pasta, unsalted, 1/2 cup |
Trace |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, 1 oz. |
100-360 |
| Bread, 1 slice |
110-175 |
| Popcorn, salted, 1 oz. |
100-420 |
| Pretzels, salted, 1 oz. |
130-880 |
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| Vegetables |
| Vegetables, fresh or frozen, cooked without salt, 1/2 cup |
Less than 70 |
| Vegetables, canned or frozen with sauce, 1/2 cup |
140-460 |
| Tomato juice, canned, 3/4 cup |
660 |
| Vegetable soup, canned, 1 cup |
820 |
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| Fruit |
| Fruit, fresh, frozen, canned, 1/2 cup |
Trace |
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| Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese |
| Milk, 1 cup |
120 |
| Yogurt, 8 oz. |
160 |
| Natural cheeses, 1-1/2 oz. |
110-450 |
| Process cheeses, 2 oz. |
800 |
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| Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts |
| Fresh meat, poultry, fish, 3 oz. |
Less than 90 |
| Tuna, canned, water pack, 3 oz. |
300 |
| Bologna, 2 oz. |
580 |
| Ham, lean, roasted, 3 oz. |
1,020 |
| Peanuts, roasted in oil, salted, 1 oz. |
120 |
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| Other |
| Salad dressing, 1 tbsp |
75-220 |
| Ketchup, mustard, steak sauce, 1 tbsp. |
130-230 |
| Soy sauce, 1 tbsp. |
1,030 |
| Salt, 1 tsp. |
2,325 |
| Dill pickle, 1 medium |
930 |
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