Not all Sugars are created equal

I had a consultation with a client today and when we started getting to her nutrition/diet, she made an interesting objection. I had recommend that she stop drinking orange juice and soda, to stick mainly to water for her liquid intake. She responded by implying that she can drink both soda and juice because she doesn’t eat fruit, so she’s using those sources as her sugar intake.

She was correct in that fruit along with low fat milk and most vegetables do have sugar in them. But, are they the same type of sugars as soda, most juices and condiments? Absolutely not.

Sugar that occurs naturally in foods and that contains key nutrients should not be avoided or substituted. An empty calorie refers to foods or drinks with little or no nutritional value - something that’s just calories.

These are the types of calories you want to avoid. Although orange and apple juice (depending on the quality and brand) in some cases do have some nutritional value, the amount of sugar added to these drinks is not worth it. You are better off eating an actual orange or an actual apple with a glass of water. Moreover, even though diet sodas are “diet,” they still are considered empty calories.

Avoid empty calories or in most cases “bad sugars,” at all costs. Don’t harp on yourself for eating an apple or drinking a glass of low fat milk - they contain key nutrients!