Avoiding Added Sugar

Added sugar can derail any diet, but it can be especially harmful for patients who have had bariatric surgery.

Many prepared foods contain added sugar, including yogurts, cereals, granola bars, jams, canned fruit, and sweetened beverages. Natural sugar occurs in healthy and unprocessed foods, including milk, fruit and vegetables. Added sugar is introduced into food in the processing or preparation stage and lacks nutritional value. High intake of added sugar is linked to increased risk for obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, heart disease and stroke.

After bariatric surgery, it is essential to limit intake of added sugars for continued and maintained weight loss. The best option is to avoid food and beverages that are high in added sugar, or consume only small portions.

In addition, for people who had gastric bypass surgery, consuming too much added sugar can also lead to dumping syndrome.

Added sugar is often disguised under a variety of names. It is important to carefully review the nutrition facts of food and beverage products before consuming them. If any of the following ingredients appears near the beginning of the nutrition facts, the food or beverage may be high in added sugar:

• Beet sugar
• Brown sugar
• Brown rice syrup
• Cane sugar
• Cane juice or evaporated cane juice
• Confectioner's sugar
• Corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup
• Corn syrup solids
• Crystallized cane juice
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Honey
• Ingredients ending in "ose" including dextrose, glucose, maltose and sucrose
• Invert sugar
• Maltodextrin or dextrin
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Palm sugar
• Raw sugar
• Turbinado

To find the added sugar content in many common foods, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Database for the Added Sugars Content of Selected Foods.

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New Year, New You Patient Open House

It is a new year and Penn Medicine is hosting a special open house for patients who are interested in living a healthier life in 2011.

From 10 am until noon on Saturday, January 22, Penn Medicine will host a health and wellness open house at the Ruth and Raymond Center for Advanced Medicine. Physicians, nurses, therapists, dietitians, and staff members from Penn Medicine will answer questions and provide information about diabetes management, weight loss/bariatric surgery, nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation. This event will be especially informative for patients who are considering weight loss/bariatric surgery.

The event is free, but registration is required. Please call 800-789-PENN (7366) for more information or to register.

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FDA recommends Extending Weight-Loss Surgery Eligibility

A recent front-page article in the Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted an FDA advisory panel recommendation to allow doctors to use the adjustable gastric band – a less invasive form of weight-loss surgery – in patients with milder obesity.

Under the new guidelines, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 35 and weight-related medical complications of obesity would qualify. Currently the device is only approved for people with BMIs of 40 and higher, or 35 to 40 with other medical complications.

The article includes comments from Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program faculty Noel Williams, MD, FRCSI, David Sarwer, PhD, and Thomas Wadden, PhD.

Read the Full Article
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Dear Diary: Today I ate…

Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, explains the benefits of keeping a food diary.

Keeping a food diary is an important first step when losing weight. Awareness and accountability are critical components of healthful eating and weight loss. Keeping a food diary raises your awareness of your diet, gives you control of your eating habits and helps you lose weight.

When starting a food diary, it is important to find a format that works well for you. Some options include a notebook, smart phone application or website, such as Lose It!, MyFitnessPal or SparkPeople. Many cell phone applications and websites have a database of nutrition values to help you accurately record and track your intake.

Tracking what you eat works best if you record your food and beverage intake as you go. Write down what, when, where and the quantity that you eat. Make sure to include all snacks and beverages even if you grab just one cracker on your way out the door.

Preparing food at home also gives you better control and knowledge of what you are eating. The more accurate your food diary, the better it can guide you to make healthy dietary choices and ultimately achieve successful weight loss.

Finally, be sure to review your journal weekly to assess if changes are needed.

Sample entry:

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