Getting Smart About Sugar—For You and Your Dog

An apple in one hand. Candy in the other. Both taste sweet, but what comes along with that sweetness?

That’s what I want to look at today. We’ve talked about carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and grains. Now let’s talk about sugar—and a few small choices we can make for ourselves and our dogs.

You don’t have to give up fruit

I’m not going to tell you to stop eating apples or bananas because they contain sugar.

Whole fruit gives us fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals along with its natural sweetness. An apple offers something different from candy, even though both contain sugar.

The useful place to start is added sugar: the sugar put into foods and drinks during preparation or processing. Cutting back doesn’t have to mean giving up every sweet thing you enjoy.

How much added sugar are we talking about?

The American Heart Association recommends no more than about 25 grams of added sugar a day for most women and 36 grams for most men. Those amounts refer to added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugar in a whole apple or banana.

Rather than trying to change everything tomorrow morning, choose something you buy regularly. Could you use a little less sweetener in your oatmeal? Compare two cereals? Choose an unsweetened plant milk you enjoy?

Start with a change you want to make.

Turn the package around.

The front of a package can sound convincing. The Nutrition Facts panel gives us more useful information.

Look at the serving size, then find:

Total Sugars: naturally occurring and added sugars combined.

Includes X g Added Sugars: the amount added during processing or preparation.

That second line helps you compare products without treating the sugar in fruit as though it were all added sweetener. Remember to account for how many servings you actually eat.

Sugar also goes by names such as:

1. cane sugar

2. brown sugar

3. dextrose

4. corn syrup

5. honey

6. maple syrup

A more natural-sounding name doesn’t make it stop counting as added sugar.

And what about the dog beside you?

While we’re turning over our food packages, we can turn over the treat bag, too.

Check the ingredients for added sweeteners, look at the calories, and notice the recommended portions. Our dogs’ treats deserve the same attention we give our own snacks.

There’s also one ingredient that needs special attention: xylitol, sometimes called birch sugar or wood sugar.

“Sugar-free” does not mean dog-safe.

Xylitol can cause dangerous low blood sugar in dogs and may damage their liver. If you think your dog has eaten something containing it, contact a veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic immediately. Don’t wait for symptoms.

One small choice at a time

You don’t have to clean out the whole kitchen to begin.

Choose one label to read. Compare one product. Try one less-sweet option and see whether you like it.

And remember that spending time with your dog doesn’t always need to involve something to eat. A sniffing adventure, a favorite game, or a little extra attention can be a reward, too.

What’s one food or drink whose sugar label surprised you? Hit reply and tell me.

Until tomorrow have a happy and healthy

naturally sweet tail wagging day,

—Pam and Freedom 🐾