Sugar focus is out of focus

photo from http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2013/09/9-surprising-foods-have-more-sugar-krispy-kreme-donut

In response to a claim posted by Mother Jones in the article “9 Surprising Foods With More Sugar Than a Krispy Kreme Doughnut” I would like to propose that all of this focus on the sugar content of foods is misleading. It’s like saying the only gauge on my car I need to look at is the oil gauge. This is clearly not true. A car’s engine is a complex machine which requires fuel, oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, water, etc. to run. And even if I focus on all of these fluids, I’ll miss important maintenance items like tires (rotation, alignment, air pressure, wear, etc.), lines and hoses, filters, tune-ups, etc. The point is that whether we are considering how to best care for a car or for our bodies, we need to look at the big picture and consider multiple variables. If I use high quality gasoline but neglect to change my oil or check my tire pressure my car will not run optimally and will likely die early. Likewise, if I avoid sugar but consume excess fat and calories an neglect eating foods rich in nutrients, my body won’t have optimal health and may die early.  I need to  consider the nutrient density of foods (amount of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals per Calorie), the total Calories, and my individual nutritional needs. Some people can tolerate  more of one macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat) than others. Athletes and active individuals have relatively high tolerance and need for carbohydrates whereas individuals with type 2 diabetes cannot tolerate large amounts of carbohydrates. The same is true for dietary sodium, protein, calorie and many other nutrients. Even if I’m addressing the needs of “the general public” rather than individuals, I would be remiss as a nutrition professional if I didn’t look at the big picture. And so it is with the hyper-focus on sugar that has become so popular recently. Sugar does not cause disease. EXCESS  sugar contributes to poor health. I wrote about this in detail in my article “Sugar Overkill” which was in response to yet another “these products have more sugar than those products” article. There is a quality difference between a product with added sugar and one which contains only naturally occurring surgars (fruit, milk, etc.) and is rich other nutrients. For example, in the recent “Mother Jones” article the comparison is made between Odwalla Super Food drink and Krispy Kreme donuts (photo credit for this goes to this article). The implication is that because the Odwalla drink contains significantly more sugar, it is somehow worse than the donuts. Let’s take a closer look, taking into consideration ALL of the nutrients, calories and ingredients in each of these foods. First of all, according to the nutrition information available on the products’ own websites, Mother Jones’ math was a little off. The sugar content in the drink is equivalent to four donuts, not five. But even four donuts is a lot. What this pictograph does not mention is that the donuts are significantly higher in fat and calories, and deficient in vitamins and minerals. One Krispy Kreme donut contains about the same amount of calories as one 12-oz. Odwalla Super Food drink. It follows then that four donuts contain four times the amount of calories as one 12-oz. drink (800 vs. 190 calories). However, since the Odwalla drink is made almost entirely from pureed fruit and “super greens” it is high in nutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) and nearly fat free. In other words, you get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck if you choose the Odwalla Super Food drink. The donuts on the other hand, are made with highly processed ingredients and a significant amount of fat. The chart below (click on it to see full screen version) provides a detailed nutritional comparison of the 2 products. Looking over all of these details and the ingredient lists for each product, it becomes evident that the super drink clearly the more nutritious, and therefore healthy choice,  despite the naturally occurring sugar it contains. This is another good example of why it is important to look beyond the headlines and graphics when claims about a single nutrient are made. My point is not to say that eating Krispy Kreme donuts will ruin your health – an occasional donut or other treat is not big deal for most people if their over-all diet is healthy and nutrient dense, and they are physically active. My point is that it is important to make informed decisions, and to do so we must look at the big picture.