Sugar For Pregnancy

We consume far too much sugar in this country. Manufacturers shove enormous amounts of it into a wide variety of foods making the amount that the average American eats shockingly high. According to information found at the Department of Health and Human Services, 200 years ago Americans ate an average of 2 pounds of sugar per year. Now, thanks to modern food production methods, combined with cheap and easy access to sugar, the average American eats 3 pounds per week! That's the equivalent of about 6 cups of sugar or approximately 1,500 calories worth (it varies depending on the type of sugar). The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women (9 teaspoons for men).  Six teaspoons times seven days brings the total suggested consumption to 42 teaspoons or less than 1 cup of added sugar per week, an enormous difference.

The effects of excess sugar consumption are well known, weight gain, diabetes, cavities, gum disease, suppression of the immune system and a number of other issues. Obviously it makes sense to try to avoid excess sugars as much as possible.

One area where it especially makes sense to reduce sugars is for those who are pregnant. Excess sugar consumption by the expectant mother not only affects her health, but also that of her unborn child. Unfortunately this does not stop manufacturers from using excessive amounts of sugar in products aimed specifically at pregnant women.

I was shopping with a friend at a maternity store last week. As we waited at the checkout I noticed a few “impulse buy” products near the registers. Being the Food Ingredient Guru that I am I could not resist the impulse to pick them up, flip them over, and #ReadTheLabel. Here are the results of two of the items I saw:

Marketed specifically as candies for pregnant woman, this has 12 grams of sugar per 3 pieces.  And the ingredients are not a healthy choice:  dried cane syrup, corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, and natural colors.  Breaking this down we have two kinds of sugar, one of which, the corn syrup, is most likely to be genetically modified.  We also have citric acid which is often made from corn and therefore probably genetically modified.  Natural flavor is often code for monosodium glutamate.  I'm not sure in this instance as they talk about essential oils, but it's an ingredient that I feel would be best avoided.

The other product was a pregnancy “boost” bar with 8 grams of protein.  It's important to remember that many protein bars are just glorified, grown-up candy bars.  They're often not a healthy choice due to the high levels of sugar.  This bar is no exception.

I find this one especially frustrating because the packaging specifically calls out health claims such as “bone health for mom and baby”, “supports baby's healthy brain function”, and :enhanced immune function”.  However 13 grams of sugar per bar are not going to be supportive for the immune system.

The ingredients in this product are as follows:

Brown rice syrup, oats, milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, milk, chocolate liquor, dextrose, soy lecithin, vanilla), soy crisp (soy protein, tapioca starch, salt), toffee (evaporated cane juice, butter [cream, salt], crisp rice [rice flour, sugar, malt extract, salt]), brown rice crisp (brown rice flour, rice flour, distilled monoglycerides), soy nuts (soybeans, sugar, natural flavors, sunflower oil, salt), soynuts, almonds, vegetable glycerin, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, pear juice concentrate, non-fat dry milk, natural flavor.

Fortified with: calcium carbonate, magnesium citrate, cholecalciferol (vit D3), potassium iodine (iodine), choline bitartrate, ascorbic acid (vit C), zinc oxide.

The company does claim to use non-gmo soy however

• The dextrose is from corn and probably genetically modified.
• Sugar appears five times on the label.
• The listed dairy products are not organic and therefore are likely to have added hormones, antibiotics, and potential pesticide residue and/or genetically modified on the feed given to the cows.
•  The soy crisp, rice crisp, and brown rice crisp are all exploded grains and as simple carbohydrates are quickly broken down impacting the blood sugar.
• Malt extract and natural flavor are potential sources of MSG.

All of these combine to make this an unhealthy option.  Consider instead having a real food snack such as an apple (if you're looking for something sweet), or a clean source of protein such as a handful of raw nuts or an organic whole milk yogurt with some fresh berries.

Remember that whatever the claim on the front of the package it's always important to Read The Label.