A federal nutrition advisory committee comprised of doctors and nutritionists recently released their Scientific Report on nutritional recommendations.  The recommendations will be used by the USDA and Department of Health & Human Services to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015. Among their recommendations: reduce your intake of processed sugar.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is released every 5 years to provide nutritional recommendations and advice in order to promote overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The committee’s report called for, “Improved beverage selections that limit or remove sugar-sweetened beverages and place limits on sweets and desserts would help lower intakes of the food component, added sugars.” The committee recommended reducing sugary drinks, but avoiding low-calorie artificial sweeteners.

As mentioned in our previous news post The Growing Sugar Addiction, more than half of all packaged food and drinks contain some form of sugar.  Currently, Americans get around 13% (about 286 calories) or more of their daily caloric intake from added sugar. Children, teens and young adults are estimated to consume even greater amounts of added sugar. This year, the committee is recommending that the maximum amount of added sugar be 10% (about 200 calories) of your daily calories.

Replacing soda and other sugary beverages with Syfo Naturally Flavored Sparkling Waters will aid in keeping your added sugar intake below the recommended 10% level. With deliciously refreshing flavors like Lemon- Lime, Tangerine-Orange and Wild Cherry, you won’t even miss that sugar-packed soda.

You find more details on the report in this New York Times article.

Concern has been growing about the heightened presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food chain. And according to this recent article in the New York Times, it’s still difficult to tell from the product labeling whether GMOs are included in what you eat and drink.

This is partly because there are no regulations requiring companies to disclose on labels whether their products contain GMOs. And while there are proposed regulations being debated in Congress and state legislatures, the public outcry over GMOs has prompted some food manufacturers to proactively label their products as non-GMO. The problem is that there is no process in place to verify the claims.

This has led to a large amount of consumer confusion, leaving it to the individual to sort out the information and decide what’s true. So the best bet is to keep yourself informed, learning as much as you can about the ingredients in the food and beverage products that are available and how those products are manufactured and processed.

There is also the common misconception that the concern over GMOs is only limited to food products. Many of the beverages on the market contain ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms. According to the New York Times, most corn, soy, canola and sugar beets are grown from genetically modified seeds. These crops are often used to produce high-fructose corn syrup, ascorbic acid, sugar and Xantham gun — ingredients that are commonly used in sodas and other sweetened beverages. High fructose corn syrup is a particular concern, for in addition to potentially containing GMOs, this highly-processed derivate of corn has come under scrutiny for a variety of health concerns and conditions, including weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and more.

Some of the specific health concerns surrounding GMOs include antibiotic resistance, gastrointestinal and digestive difficulties as well as immune system suppression. Additionally, for those with food allergies, genetic traits from unrelated plants can be grafted to other crops, which may trigger an allergic response if for example, someone with a nut allergy consumed a food that was grafted with a nut gene.

At Syfo, we take pride in making truly healthy beverages. Our Original Seltzer and Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters are free of any genetically modified ingredients or GMOs. Our all-natural flavors are derived from essential oils that are extracted from the peel of the fruit and our products contain no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium or any other additives.  Made with purified water, they’re just delicious and healthy refreshment.

The holidays are now over and you’ve probably had your share of cookies, cakes, pies and chocolates. There is more sugar in our diets now than ever before and it’s ubiquitous in what we eat and drink. This abundance is no accident and now there is growing concern over the addictive nature of sugar and the resulting health impact. This underscores the need for healthier beverages like Syfo that contain no sugar or artificial sweeteners.

According to this op-ed piece in the New York Times, research shows that an abundance of sugar consumption can lead to cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and more. Yet we continue to eat and drink sweet concoctions and enjoy it. The reason, some say, is that sugar is addictive – and the way the food industry uses it builds and encourages this addiction.

In animal studies, sugar created the same symptoms exhibited by substance addiction: cravings, tolerance and withdrawal.  Additionally, sugar can make neurochemical changes in the brain and stimulate brain pathways just like an opioid drug. And like cocaine and nicotine, once we have it in our system we crave it and feel we need that sugar.

Compounding the problem is that added sugar is showing up in our diet more and more – more than half of all packaged food contains sugar in some form.  According to the same New York Times article, the average American consumes 8 to 16 ounces of sugar each day (¼ to ½ a pound) and one can of soda has more sugar than most people would consume in an entire year a few hundred years ago. Plus some of the forms of sugar being used, including high fructose corn syrup and beet sugar, have been shown to have additional negative health effects.

So how do we combat this addiction and get clean? If better health is part of your New Year’s resolution, consider decreasing the amounts of refined and added sugar in your diet. Avoid processed foods when you can and be sure to read the label – that will  help you stay clear of harmful additives like high fructose corn syrup. Instead of reaching for cookies as a snack, try a handful of fresh berries or baked apple chips. Using honey as a natural sweetener is also great alternative to refined sugar.

And of course, instead of drinking soda try any of Syfo’s Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters or mixing Syfo Original Seltzer with real fruit juices. Made with purified water, all of our products contain no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium, preservatives or any other additives.