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People Are Souring on Sugar

Too much sweet talk is a turnoff.

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Sugar levels in food

It used to be fat, but now consumers are deciding on the healthfulness of a product based on its sugar levels. So says research in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. The study, which surveyed 858 volunteers, included a choice-based questionnaire that used a traffic-light labeling system; packaged foods like cereals were assigned a color based on their nutritional makeup. Results showed that participants perceived red-light food with a high sugar content to be the worst for health and something to avoid, while foods with excess fat, saturated fat or salt were viewed as less off-putting.

While it’s good to see that people are becoming aware of the pitfalls of eating too much sugar, particularly sweeteners added to foods, it’s still important for consumers to have their guard up in relation to other potential concerns with packaged foods—like saturated-fat and sodium levels.

See also: Carbohydrate Controversy: “Good” Sugars vs. “Bad” Sugars?


Matthew Kadey, MS, RD

Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.

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