1. food and drink
2. food
3. grains and pasta

Tool #9
Are you eating too much sugar?
“Crash” course on sugar:
Nutrition Facts
Per 125 ml (87 g)
Amount
• I usually drink fruit juice or punch, regular soft
drinks, lemonade or iced tea;
• I am an energy drink enthusiast: Red Bull,
Gatorade or flavoured tea or coffee, etc…
• Cookies, granola bars, ice cream, cakes,
chocolate, candies… These types of food are part
of my day… I have a sweet tooth!
• I like frosted breakfast cereals or I add a generous
serving of dried fruit to my cereal;
• I use sugar in my coffee or honey in my tea; I like
maple syrup with yogurt…
If any of these statements fit you to a tee, you may
be eating too much sugar…
Fat 0.5 g
1%
Saturated 0 g
0%
+ Trans 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 0 mg
0%
Carbohydrates 18 g
6%
Fibre 2 g
8%
Sugars 2 g
Protein 3 g
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
0%
10%
2%
• All types of sugar belong to the carbohydrate family.
• The carbohydrate family is made up of different
types of sugar, fibre and starch. The amount of these
nutritional elements (except for starch) per serving is
included in the Nutritional Facts table.
• Small size molecule sugar is called SUGAR (glucose,
fructose, lactose…).
It is naturally present in fruit and its juice, some
vegetables, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, honey…
Or it is added to food such as soft drinks, cookies,
granola bars, desserts, ice cream, chocolate, candies,
etc.
If I am being provided with this document, it is because it
would be wise for me to limit the sugar-rich food I eat, for
at least one of the following reasons:
• My glycemia (blood sugar level) is high;
• My triglycerides level is high;
• I am overweight.
• FIBRE is derived from plants. It is not digested by
digestive tract enzymes. Many health benefits are
associated with a fibre-rich diet.
Are you eating too much sugar?
Reflecting on my eating habits…
% Daily Value
Calories 80
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Start with limiting SUGAR-rich foods:
• Molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, honey
Review how often you eat desserts and the serving size
of the desserts you eat. This is already an important first
step!
Beware! Even though certain foods such as bread, French
fries, rice and pasta do not have a sweet taste, they are
made up of carbohydrates (starch). Eating generous
servings of these foods, particularly refined products, can
increase triglycerides levels and boost blood sugar levels
in diabetics.
• NutellaTM, caramel, regular jam, marmalade and other
spreads
For instance, instead of eating 5 or 6 cookies at a time, you
could eat 2 or 3...
Foods that contain carbohydrates are ubiquitous in our
diet. Thus, we should choose the sources which have a
better nutritional value while avoiding large servings.
•White or brown sugar, fructose
• Sweet drinks: chocolate milk, fruit drinks, juice and
punch, regular soft drinks, iced tea, lemonade, energy
drinks…
•Sweet desserts: cookies, cakes, pies, pastries,
doughnuts, ice cream…
Desserts… quantity is the issue!
Eat a sweet dessert every other day instead of every day.
Here is a useful tip: use one third less sugar than the
recipe calls for in homemade desserts.
•Fruit gelatine (Jell-OTM) and regular commercial
puddings
Eating well… with the Canadian Food Guide
•Candies, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, throat
lozenges
Eating less sweet foods does not mean banning all foods
containing carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are your body’s
main source of energy!
•Sweetened cereal, dried or candied fruit, dried fruit
bars…
Watch what you drink!
Even “100% pure” fruit juice and juice labelled as
“unsweetened” should be restricted because it
naturally contains sugar. Limit your intake to 125 ml (½
cup) a day and eat fresh fruit instead. Drinking water
at meal time and throughout the day is the best way to
keep well-hydrated!
Vegetables and fruit, whole grain cereal products and milk
products are foods you should opt for throughout the day.
Consult the Canadian Food Guide at www.healthcanada.
gov.ca/foodguide for the number of servings recommended for your age group and sex.
Simple substitutes for sweet beverages: Add a small
quantity of juice (1 to 2 oz) to a glass of sparkling water or
add slices of lime or citrus fruit to a glass of water.
© Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal
Writing: Chantal Blais, DtP, Émilie Raymond, DtP, Julie St-Jean, DtP, Dietitians
Graphic Design: Hélène Lambin, PhD
Photography: Dmitry Ersler - fotolia.com
Are you eating too much sugar?
Are you eating too much sugar?
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• STARCH: this type of carbohydrate is made up of many
glucose units joined in a long chain. Starch is found in
bread and other bakery products, crackers, cereal, rice,
pasta, legumes and potatoes, which are important sources
of energy for the body.
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