Are All Sugars the Same?

When it comes to sugar, it's important to differentiate between natural sugars and added sugars. It is OK to have natural sugars. For example, sugars that are naturally occurring in dairy products, as well as fruits. But Americans, in general, we do eat too much added sugar. So that would come from things like sugar sweetened beverages, desserts, and things like that. So it is best to avoid added sugars but not necessarily natural sugars.

A lot of alcoholic drinks can be packed with sugar and calories. They're what we call empty calories, which means it really doesn't provide our body a lot of nutritional benefit. So I would look on any pre-mixed alcoholic drinks for the sugar content of those drinks.

The Food and Drug Administration states that artificial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes, are safe to consume in normal amounts. But some people do have adverse reactions to them, such as headaches. So if that's the case, it's best to avoid them altogether.