Every now and then, I’ll do sugar fasts for one month with the exception of natural sugar found in fruit or honey.
Giselle Espinoza
Something I didn’t expect was reading nutrition labels and finding sneaky sugars in bread, pasta, cereal and oats. It made me wonder, maybe our addiction to sugar isn’t completely our fault. It is interwoven into meals at restaurants and daily household foods like you would hide a medication tablet into your dog’s favorite treat, except this one has no benefit to our health. Wouldn’t companies in charge of mass producing ultra-processed foods be aware of this? Why are we being marketed “health foods” that are causing gut imbalances, mood disorders and overall negative health impacts? As a consumer, it is your right to know the hidden ingredients in food eaten by you and your family.
The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends less than 10% of calories come from added sugars for individuals 2 years and older. This is equivalent to 50 grams per day for a 2,000 calorie intake. Realistically, Americans consume an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar, or 93 grams (gasp). Sugary drinks, pastries and candy are obvious sugar culprits, but what about everything else? Food like white bread, marinara sauce and countless cereals (to name a few) have added sugar. These are ultra-processed foods, created to please our tastes and keep us coming back for more. In history’s defense, these foods had a time and place, especially during World War II when shelf-stable food was critical in feeding millions of soldiers on the line. In the 1980s, Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) became an official term, referencing conveniently packaged foods.
Unfortunately, convenience is not always the healthiest option but today, many families rely on ultra processed foods for low-cost meals and snacks. Doctors have warned about the dangerous outcomes of UPFs for a long time. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), 57% of an American’s caloric intake comes from UPFs, leading to common health issues like diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity. In 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that roughly one in three (32.7%) of children ages 12-19 were pre-diabetic. We are getting sicker from these foods every year and changes to nutrition availability are happening at a slow rate. For example, as of Oct. 8, Gov. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1264, a bill that bans ultra-processed foods from school lunches. This is a big win for all children, especially those dependent on the National School Lunch Program for free or reduced lunch. Ultra processed food companies prey on low-income populations for affordable, convenient and sometimes “nutritious” food, but realistically, this leads to skyrocketing revenue with detrimental health effects for everyone else.
For typical consumers, a trip to your nearest grocery store or gas station reveals taste galore with bright product packaging, tons of “sugar free” alternatives to your favorite snacks, and worst of all, high percentages of added sugar, sodium, trans fats and artificial dyes. To corporations, it is all in the name of “consumer preference.” Kellogg’s is one of many brands that produce alternate versions of the same products depending on the country they are selling to. In the United States, you recognize popular breakfast cereals like “Fruit Loops” as sugary, crunchy rings, colorfully vibrant like a rainbow. In Europe, Kellogg’s has a version of Fruit Loops that are purple and yellow without the use of artificial flavors and colors. Even when consumers look for healthy alternatives, the overwhelming amount of marketing claims that say “sugar free,” “good for cholesterol” or “heart healthy,” can be misleading. For years, “sugar-free” products have convincingly swept the hearts of evolving health-conscious individuals (formerly guilty). You’ll see this in chocolate bars, coffee creamers, jello, diet sodas and other snacks and beverages so consumers gain the illusion of being within their daily macronutrient needs. Most of the time, “sugar free” alternatives like sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol and maltitol are sugar alcohols which are impossible to pronounce and have devastating cardiovascular consequences including an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Much of our youth has some link to our favorite foods or drinks. There is nostalgia in a pink and white strawberry shortcake popsicle or Diet Coke our parents had at dinner time, but more is at stake now. Health care costs are actively rising and staying healthy feels like a war between consumers and corporations. Families should not be deprived of nutritional food availability and considering recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it is a great time to support our neighbors in need. For families in San Mateo County, please dial ‘211’ for food assistance.
Thank you for your column today, Ms. Espinoza, and for summarizing the ills of “sneaky” sugars and ultra-processed foods. These ills have been covered extensively in plenty of reporting but what is not covered extensively is what people can do to address these ills. You reference SNAP and nutritional food so perhaps RFK Jr.’s support and approval of state-level waivers that restrict the use of SNAP benefits to buy soda and candy and other processed foods should be endorsed by all states. Perhaps you and like-minded folks can encourage California to restrict those types of purchases with SNAP benefits? What alternatives are available at similar cost to the multitude of examples you cite as being ultra-processed? Are you proposing that instead of calorie counting, we resort to sugar counting? Or should we continue to follow a well-balanced diet, regardless of how much sugar is consumed? Good luck to folks out there if they’re worried about sugars and ultra-processed foods. For breakfast tomorrow, I guess I’ll skip my powdered donuts appetizer.
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(1) comment
Thank you for your column today, Ms. Espinoza, and for summarizing the ills of “sneaky” sugars and ultra-processed foods. These ills have been covered extensively in plenty of reporting but what is not covered extensively is what people can do to address these ills. You reference SNAP and nutritional food so perhaps RFK Jr.’s support and approval of state-level waivers that restrict the use of SNAP benefits to buy soda and candy and other processed foods should be endorsed by all states. Perhaps you and like-minded folks can encourage California to restrict those types of purchases with SNAP benefits? What alternatives are available at similar cost to the multitude of examples you cite as being ultra-processed? Are you proposing that instead of calorie counting, we resort to sugar counting? Or should we continue to follow a well-balanced diet, regardless of how much sugar is consumed? Good luck to folks out there if they’re worried about sugars and ultra-processed foods. For breakfast tomorrow, I guess I’ll skip my powdered donuts appetizer.
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Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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