By: Katie Schroeder and Beth Olson
As we begin Autumn, the time for holidays is upon us! Whether its Halloween, Thanskgiving, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, or Dia de los Muertos, there are many days of celebration in the fall season. With these holidays come friends, families, dinners, and of course sweets. Many sweets and deserts hold strong cultural meaning and help to celebrate the holidays, but they also leave the door open for overconsumption of sugar and poor health outcomes. So, while this may be a season of celebration, it is also the perfect time for a conversation about enjoying sweets in moderation and limiting added sugars.
Sugar is defined as the class of soluble, crystalline, typically sweet-tasting, carbohydrates. Some sugars are naturally found in whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, while others are added to processed foods, such as bakery products, juice drinks, and many snack foods. These “sugars” can be found in the ingredient list with many names, including sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and invert sugars. Natural sugars are not associated with negative health outcomes but the sugars that are removed from natural sources and highly concentrated (think high fructose corn syrup) and added to our foods have often been associated with negative health outcomes. Some of the negative health outcomes may be due to their role in weight gain, and eating a lot of foods with added sugars (and other refined carbohydrates like starch) increases your risk of cavities. Excess weight gain leading to obesity can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
Consuming high amounts of added sugars also leads to poor diet quality as foods with high added sugars replace nutrient dense foods. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend less than 10% of total daily caloric intake is from added sugars. Only about 33% of children and 44% of adults are below the recommendation. With upcoming holidays that tend to increase added sugar like Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies, and Honey cakes how can we enjoy the holidays without eating a lot of those added sugars?
A few ways we can cut back on added sugars is the limitation of sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks, and sweet teas. Changing them out with unsweetened sparkling water, herbal tea, and unsweetened coffee are some of the many options. If you are looking forward to a sweet treat at your holiday celebrations, focus on the sweets that you really enjoy and maybe forgo the ones that don’t bring you as much joy, or that you may be eating unconsciously, and try to include healthful options such as veggies, and lean proteins into your meals. Balance is really the key word when it comes to holiday sweets. There is no need to find alternative to your favorite sweet treats this holiday season, but rather to find balance with healthier foods and avoiding the urge to over-consume. Replacements can be helpful when you may just be consuming something because it’s there, not because you actually enjoy it. Enjoying a sweet that you only get once a year with your friends and family is part of what makes the holidays special, it’s just important to do so in moderation. We don’t need to skip all the foods we love, just plan to pick small portions and really enjoy them!
Cutting added sugars completely from your diet is not needed, especially during the holidays, but being conscious of your intake and finding balance can help to make your holidays more enjoyable. Moderate sugar consumption is not the issue, and bit of sugar might enhance the flavor of some very healthy foods. It is the overconsumption that can lead to negative health outcomes. Enjoy your favorite sweet treat or family dessert, find balance, and enjoy your holidays. Happy Fall!
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/school-nutrition-standards-updates/added-sugars