As I am grocery shopping, I often look on the back of a product to check out the nutritional information. I always make sure that I look at the fat, calorie, fiber, sodium and sugar content listed on the label. I also look to see the % of the recommended daily value that these products contain. However, I have noticed on each and every single item I have ever looked at, the % is not there for the sugar value. Sure it says that my cereal has 9 grams of sugar per serving but that doesn't tell me much since I don't know if this is 10% of what I should have in a day or 75%. This has made me scratch my head. . . so I decided to research this and share my findings with you readers.

As I searched around on the internet, I became quite frustrated at the lack of information concerning this topic. What I did learn is that sugar is the only "nutrient" that is not required by the FDA to carry a maximum recommended daily intake. I am wondering why this is the case since I read that our sugar intake has increased 28% since 1983, which obviously has been a huge contribution to epidemic obesity rates and other health problems.

Another concern is that not only are we eating more sugar, but it is replacing more healthy foods. Swapping your veggies for a candy bar is obviously not going to do your waistline or your health much good. The reason that sugar can sabotage your diet is that it cripples the body's potential for fat release. Your body will often "choose" to burn glucose and simple sugars for fuel and store the fat instead of using it to run the body. This obviously will lead to weight gain.

So, knowing that too much of this sweet thing can be a problem, how do we know when we are at or under the safe and healthy level of sugar? The USDA currently recommends 10 teaspoons of sugar per day which is 40 grams. After reading this information, I thought I would share sugar levels in some common American food products, so you can see how easy it is to get to (and above) just 40 grams a day. Keep in mind also that this is based on the serving size which is often much smaller than we actually eat (myself included). Some of these are no-brainers, but some might surprise you as they did me. Pepsi: 41 grams (101%)

Fruit Yogurt: 28 grams (70%)

20 oz. Gatorade: 35 grams (87.5%)

Nutri-Grain Bars: 11 grams (27.5%)

Dried Cranberries: 26 grams (65%)

Frosted Pop Tart: 17 grams (42.5%)

Raisin Bran: 20 grams (50%)

Now that I have painted such a grim picture of the American diet, fear not! There are many tasty foods that are low in sugar and will promote fat release and insulin control. Below are a few examples.

• Low fat cottage cheese: 4 grams
• Cheerios: 1 gram
• Peanut Butter: 3 grams
• Hummus: 0 grams
• Turkey Breast: 3 grams
• Whole Wheat Bread: 2 grams
• Baked Lays Chips: 2 grams

I can go on and on, but hopefully you get the idea. Sugar isn't EVIL and it is just fine in moderation. As a rule, avoid foods that contain sugar as their primary ingredient, and be proactive in looking at food labels to see what exactly you are putting in your body. And yes, I eat dessert here and there. . . . . . just not after every meal or for my meal!