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Mayo Clinic Minute: Are you adding too much sugar to your diet?
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Sugar comes in many different forms. Natural sugar occurs in many foods, such as fruits, vegetables, milk and grains. But, according to Amber Bonsall, a Mayo Clinic dietitian, eating too much added sugar in processed foods or adding table sugar to your food and drink can quickly pile up the calories and lead to weight gain.
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (1:00) is in the downloads. Read the script.
It's not just a sweet tooth. Your body needs sugar.
"Our body does need sugar in the form of those complex carbohydrates, so, like, your grains, your fruits and vegetables, and milk, just for energy," says Bonsall.
But Bonsall says that doesn't mean your body needs added sugars.
"They are sugars that are added to the product and not naturally found in that item," she says.
Bonsall says a good example is orange juice, which can consist of just the natural sugars found in oranges. But some juices add extra sugar that your body doesn't need. And consider this before adding sugar to your food or drink.
"Like your table sugar, not found in whole grains or fruits and vegetables, those types of things should be limited to less than 10 percent of your calories per day," she says.
So think twice before picking up those cookies, candies and sweets. And consider the amount of added sugar in your diet.
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