What Does Total Count Of Sugars, Including NLEA Mean?
Total sugars on the nutrition fact label include sugars naturally present in many foods and beverages, such as sugar in milk and fruits, as well as any added sugars that may be present in the product.
Sugar consumption is a major health problem worldwide.
Global dietary recommendations continue to recommend reducing added sugar intake.
Having sugary foods or drinks too often can mean you consume more calories than you need, which can lead to weight gain and obesity.
Obesity is a significant health concern. Looking at the types of foods and drinks that contribute to sugars in our diet may help us reduce our intake.
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What Is NLEA?
NLEA stands for the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.
It provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with specific authority to require nutrition labeling of most foods regulated by the Agency and to regulate health claims on food labels and in food labeling. (source)
Total Sugar On The Nutrition Fact Label
Total sugar on a nutrition fact label refers to how much sugar there is in the product/g of the serving size.
Sometimes there is also a percentage number of the daily value.
The problem with these daily values for total sugar is that no Daily Reference Value has been established for total sugars because no recommendation has been made for the total amount of sugar to eat in a day.
Added sugar is often specified as a percentage of the total value.
The Harmful Sugar
Research shows that a high intake of total sugars, added sugars, and fructose are harmful to you. (source ◳)
Sugar consumption, especially added sugar, has been indicated as a major cause of several chronic diseases (source ◳) prevalent in America.
Examples of chronic diseases indicated
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- and Dental caries
Added Sugar
The major source of added sugar in the American diet comes from commercially sweetened products like (source ◳)
- Sweetened beverages
- Grain-based desserts
- Dairy desserts
- Syrups
- Candy
- and ready-to-eat Cereals for children
Foods That Contain Sugar (Total incl. NLEA) In Our Nutrition Tool
You can find regularly updated top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most total sugar we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain Sugars (Total incl. NLEA).