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How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes & Restore Health by Matt Traverso
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Making
decisions at the grocery store can be challenging when it comes to
understanding food labels that read fat-free, no sugar
added or sugar-free
and hormone-free.
There
are dozens of misleading claims hiding on our grocery store shelves. Take
fat-free creamer. Yes, it’s fat-free, but to compensate for lack of flavour, sugar
or sugar
substitutes are added.
The
same for sugar-free
items. Fat is added to compensate for lack of sugar
like sugar-free
Oreos. A regular Oreo has 2 grams of fat, but a sugar-free
Oreo has 5 grams of fat.
"No
sugar
added" food labels doesn't necessarily mean there's no sugar
present, University of Toronto researchers say.
Do
claims of “no sugar
added” and “reduced in sugar” on labels on packaged food and beverage products
really mean you’re getting a healthier alternative?
Not
so much, researchers at the University of Toronto say. In fact, they may not
actually have “notable reductions” in calories, and some may even contain sugar
amounts that are considered “excess” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Overall, we found that products with sugar
claims were healthier and lower in free sugars, but we also saw examples of
products with sugar claims that may conflict with what we know of consumer
expectations,” Jodi Bernstein, lead author and PhD student in the
department of nutritional sciences, says.
“For
example, products with a reduced in sugar claim may not have similar reductions
in calories and ‘no added sugar’ claims may be found on products that are high
in sugars – contrary to what consumer may expect.”
"Free
sugars are the sugars, syrups and fruit juices that have been removed from
their naturally occurring sources of whole fruits, vegetables, dairy products
and some grains," Bernstein explained.
"And
once removed, these sugars are 'free' to be consumed in large quantities and
added into foods."
That
can lead people to eat more of them, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity
and diabetes.
Upon
looking closer, the research team found that almost half of the products
examined (48 per cent) had excess free sugar levels.
This,
Bernstein says, means they had free sugar levels higher than those recommended
by WHO – which is a maximum of 10 per cent of calories consumed.
“A
‘no sugar added’ claim means that no sugar has been ‘added,’ but that doesn’t
mean the product wasn’t high in sugars in the first place,” Bernstein
clarifies. “Although fruit juice is considered a free sugar, it doesn’t fall
under the Canadian definition of an ‘added sugar.’”
According
to the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations, labels on food products must “be
accurate, truthful and not misleading.” Yet, under these same regulations,
fruit juices are commonly considered a fruit ingredient and not a sweetener,
researchers say.
So
in this case, fruit drinks or fruit juice products may still come with a “no
sugar added” claim even if they contain excess free sugar.
The
researchers found excess free sugar in 15 of the 16 fruit preserves and all of
the 234 fruit juices and juice drinks they looked at that came with “no sugar
added claims.”
In
total, Bernstein and her team looked at over 3,000 products including puddings,
yogurts, cereals, fruit drinks, salad dressings and sweet condiments; 635 of
those products had at least one sugar claim.
“Canadians
are increasingly trying to limit the amount of sugars they eat and only a
couple years ago the WHO emerged with guidelines recommending intakes of sugars
be limited to reduce the risk of chronic diseases associated with eating too
much sugars,” Bernstein says.
“It
is particularly important that the tools consumers have available to them on
the food label, like sugar claims, help guide them to healthier choices that
are lower in sugars.”
Bernstein
hopes that consumers recognize the limitations of these claims when choosing
pre-packaged foods and beverages.
“Just
because a product has a sugar claim doesn’t automatically mean it’s a healthier
choice,” she warns.
An
earlier study published in March by the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill came to similar conclusions with no sugar, low-sodium, non-fat and low-fat
claims.
According
to researchers, these claims rarely match the actual nutritional quality of the
food and would often have a worse nutritional profile than those without such
claims.
Whole foods a better
approach
Vancouver-based
registered dietitian Lindsay Pleskot, who is not affiliated with the
research, agreed that claims about "added sugar" and "reduced
sugar" can be confusing or misleading for consumers.
'Just
because a product has a sugar claim or fat claim or sodium claim, doesn't mean
it's automatically a healthier choice,' says the study's lead author,
registered dietitian and PhD candidate Jodi Bernstein. (Jodi Bernstein)
For
people struggling to navigate labelling on packaged foods, Pleskot
suggested opting for more whole foods — single-ingredient foods like
vegetables and fruit — and eating at home more often.
"This
way they don't need to worry about being a detective and having to scrutinize
packaging," she said.
Pleskot praised
the research, saying the findings could be helpful in influencing policy.
That's
Bernstein's hope as well. She said regulations could be improved to ensure
the claims are meeting consumers' perceptions, and to make sure they're found
on foods that are low in sugars and lower in calories and meet overall
health criteria.
But
in the end, it comes down to what happens in the grocery store.
"Consumers
can try to think critically when they see a sugar claim and consider, 'What is
the claim really saying?'" Bernstein said.
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