By Family Features

Planning your holiday menu? Dried cranberries are an ingredient found in many classic holiday recipes, but what you may not know is that they are packed with added sugars. Raisins, on the other hand, are naturally sweet with 0 grams of added sugars, making them a healthy alternative.

Why is this important? Many health-conscious consumers are interested in wholesome foods and products with less ingredients and natural sugars, like those that occur in fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. Added sugars, however, refer to any sugars or caloric sweeteners that are added to foods during processing or preparation. Consumption of excessive added sugars may be associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, fatty liver and more, according to research published by the National Library of Medicine.

“Consumers are becoming more health conscious and trying to include more nutrient-dense options with less ingredients,” says Sarah Schlichter, a registered dietitian with a master’s in public health. “Yet, consumers often don’t recognize how added sugars throughout the day can quickly add up.”

Nutrition labels haven’t always distinguished between natural and added sugars, Schlichter said, but instead lumped them together under “total sugars.” However, the Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Facts label, which is currently being transitioned to, makes this easily discernible by clearly outlining how much of the total sugar content comes from added sugars.

“One key difference between natural and added sugars is that natural sugars usually complement other nutrients naturally found in a food or fruit, such as fiber, potassium, vitamin C or antioxidants, all of which confer several health benefits,” Schlichter said. “These complementary nutrients may also slow the rate of digestion, keeping blood sugar more stable. Conversely, added sugars are added in isolation and aren’t adding any nutrients to the product.”

To put this in perspective, 1⁄4 cup of dried sweetened cranberries contains 29 grams of sugar. Of those 29 grams of sugar, 27 grams are added sugars, meaning that most of the sugar is not found naturally in dried cranberries. While a 1⁄4-cup serving of raisins also contains 29 grams of sugar, the difference is that all 29 grams are naturally found in raisins and none are added. Raisins also naturally offer potassium, iron and fiber.

To reduce added and total sugars, many products have been formulated using artificial sweeteners. No-calorie sweeteners are not free from health risks, however, and have been linked to weight gain, obesity, changes to the microbiome, decreased satiety and altered blood sugar levels.

Products sweetened with artificial sweeteners may also contain other unnecessary ingredients as well. For example, 50 percent less sugar dried cranberries also contain ingredients such as soluble corn fiber, table sugar, glycerin and sucralose.

Because raisins have no added sugars, no artificial flavors and no unnecessary ingredients, Schlichter recommends swapping them for dried cranberries this holiday season.