Americans typically consume 20 percent of their daily calories as sugar, about double the generally accepted amount. If you think your diet is too heavy on sugars or you're not sure, the following guidelines are designed to help you become more aware of the sources of sugar in your diet and to give you some suggestions to help you make the most of your sweet tooth.

Beware of sugar's many disguises
Sugars are found naturally in milk, fruit, vegetables and grains, but we also add sugars to many foods we eat, as do food manufacturers--these are the sugars we need to watch out for.

The sucrose in your sugar bowl is just one of the many sweeteners added to foods. Regardless of the name, whether it's honey, brown sugar, raw sugar, or maple syrup, all added sugar is essentially just calories without significant nutritional value. The one exception may be molasses, which actually is a fair source of potassium, calcium and iron. If you must add a sweetener to food, molasses is a wise choice. Try adding it to milk, yogurt or your next batch of cookies.

Here's a list of some of the many disguises of added sugar to watch for on the food label: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrin, dextrose, glucose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, natural sweeteners, polydextrose, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup, turbinado sugar, and xylitol. These sugars are all carbohydrates, and thus a major energy source in our diets; however, they provide very few other nutrients.

Read the label
You may be aware of how much sugar you do or don't add to foods, but are you aware of the hidden sugars in many of the food products you eat? To track down the amount of sugar you're consuming, read the label ingredients and narrow in on the many different forms of sugar mentioned above. If any of these sugars appear first or second or many of them are listed among the food ingredients, it's most likely a high-sugar food.

Don't be blinded by fat phobia
If you're too preoccupied with reading the number of fat grams on the food label, you may be missing the fact that many reduced-fat or fat-free products still carry a hefty number of calories. Additional sweeteners are often substituted for some of the fat that has been removed from these products. And, sad but true, sugar does have calories. If you overindulge on fat-free items, eating more calories than your body needs, the excess calories will be stored as fat.

Don't ban sugar completely
Sugar is included in the Food Guide Pyramid (just remember that it's only the tiny tip on top of the pyramid). Although sweets may not contribute much in the form of vitamins and minerals, a little sugar can add enjoyment and variety to your diet. Your diet does not need to be perfect to be healthy. A small amount of a favorite sweet temptation can be part of your healthy diet. Remember my mantra: Everything in moderation!

Make your sweets count
I'm certainly not suggesting that you give up sweets cold turkey; rather I suggest you become more deliberate about your selection of sweet and gooey foods. Select sweets that offer more than just fast-acting carbohydrate. Try to buy items that contain fiber or vitamins and minerals as well, such as fruit, sweetened cereal or sweet breads.

Think small
When it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth, you may only need a bite or two to get the job done. Ice cream is a great example-if you're going to have it, stick to a 1/2 cup serving size and you should be able to keep the calories under 200 while still satisfying your craving. If you don't trust yourself to do your own scooping, buy individual servings so you won't be tempted to eat more than your share.

Eat before you become ravenous
If you let yourself get too hungry, chances are the first foods you reach for will be high in sugar and fat and low in nutrients. Prevent this urge by eating frequent wholesome meals based on grains, fruits and vegetables. If you indulge in a sweet after your meal, you'll probably eat less-maybe two cookies instead of two dozen.

If chocolate is your weakness...
Try cocoa powder. Most of the fatty part of chocolate (the cocoa butter) is removed. A tablespoon of cocoa can have less than 20 calories with only 0.5 grams of fat. Use cocoa instead of chocolate when baking to help satisfy your hankering for chocolate. You can also try flavoring smoothies, cottage cheese or yogurt with a little cocoa powder. Chocolate-flavored syrup drizzled on fruit is another sweet treat to satisfy your chocolate craving. If you must have milk chocolate, three Hershey Kisses have less than 80 calories and 5 grams of fat.

Reduce sugar in recipes
As a general rule, you can cut the sugar in most cookie, cake and pie recipes by one-third and the finished product will turn out fine (you probably won't even notice the difference).

Use spices
Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, anise and mint can add a sweet taste to foods without adding sugar or calories.

Switch to fruit for dessert
A juicy piece of fruit can really satisfy a sweet tooth, while also providing vitamins, minerals and fiber. If fresh fruit doesn't cut it, try dried fruit-it's even sweeter. Also try pureeing frozen fruits to make your own sorbets or drizzling fruits with chocolate syrup or dipping them in yogurt. You should try to eat two to four servings of fruit each day.

Candy
If only candy will do, try to stick to small serving sizes. Try a Tootsie Roll, Peppermint Patty or Twizzler for a sweet fix that won't pile on the calories and fat.

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