SWEET HEAVENS

 SWEET  HEAVENS

 

Canadians consume the equivalent of 26 teaspoons of sugar (110grams) every day,

according to Statistics Canada.

One in every five calories that Canadians consume comes from sugar and more than
a third of that has been added to foods and beverages to improve palatability,
for instance in soft drinks, salad dressings, syrup and candy, states a study in
Statistics Canada Health Reports, released Wednesday.

The remainder is naturally occurring and found, for example, in milk and fruit.

Consumption varies by age. For youth ages 9 to 18, the top source of sugar comes
from soft drinks, which accounts for more than 14 per cent of their daily
intake. On a list of top 10 sources of sugar, vegetables rank last for this age
group, accounting for only 2.2 per cent of daily intake.

For children ages 1 to 8, milk is the top source of sugar, accounting for almost
20 per cent of intake. For this age group, vegetable also rank last Vegetables
rank last for this age group also, accounting for only 2.9 per cent of intake.

For those ages 19 and older, fruit is the top source of sugar, accounting for
17.4 per cent of intake. Vegetables rank higher for this group and are the sixth
top source of sugar, accounting for 6.8 per cent of daily intake. Cereals,
grains and pasta rank tenth, accounting for 3.3 per cent.
Although the body handles naturally occurring and added sugars the same way,
foods high in added sugar tend to provide less nutritional value.

Children’s sugar sources
Food type Percentage of total sugar intake
Soft drinks 14.3
Milk 14
Fruit 10.6
Confectionary 10.3
Fruit juice 9.1
Fruit drinks 7.4
Sugars (white and brown) 6.3
Other sugars (syrups, molasses, honey, etc.) 5.4
Cereals, grains and pasta 4.5
Vegetables 3.3
Source: Statistics Canada

The Canadian Press