Judging a food solely on its sugar content may be misleading because, for example, fruit is naturally chock-full of sugar but should be a regular part of your diet. To make it even more of a label reading and baking challenge, some sugars have to be added to foods in order to contribute to the volume and tenderness of baked good items.
Sugar also functions as a preservative and thickener in foods.
But working toward a diet that's moderate in sugar isn't a bad idea, since it's estimated that Americans, on average, scarf up 20 teaspoons of added sugar daily. When these sweeteners are added to a food or recipe, they deliver calories but little nutrition. If any of these sugars appear first or second or many of them are listed among food label ingredients, the odds are that the food will tend to be a high sugar roller. If you enjoy these foods, balance them in moderation with foods lower in sugar as part of a healthy diet. When cooking and baking at home, try cutting back gradually on the sugar that's called for in the recipe.