Sugar is sweet, but there's more to sugar than meets the taste buds.

What is sugar, anyway?

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that's generally grouped into two types:

• Naturally-occurring sugars, which are found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables and milk products.
• Added sugars, which are added to foods during manufacturing, cooking or at the table. Examples are white and brown sugar, honey, molasses and high fructose corn syrup. Sure, sugar makes foods taste good. But it gives foods a pleasing texture and tenderness, too. Sugar also acts as a natural preservative in baked goods, jams and jellies.

Choose foods made with sugar by the company they keep

The body digests and uses naturally-occurring and added sugars the same way — as fuel for the brain and as energy for daily activities. But it's smart to choose foods made with sugar by the company they keep.

For instance, the body uses the sugar in oranges, presweetened cereals and jelly beans the same way. But the oranges and cereals give you vitamins and minerals, while jelly beans don't. In other words, the sugar in these foods is essentially the same, but the nutrition you get along with it is quite different!

A good guideline is to make sure that most of the sugar-sweetened foods you choose supply nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals and save less-nutritious sweet foods such as candy and regular soft drinks for occasional treats.

Keep in mind that a little sugar in foods can help the nutrition go down.¹ For instance, picky kids might be more likely to eat presweetened cereal or drink chocolate milk. They'll love the taste and you'll love the nutrients they get from these foods.

References:
¹ Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2005.