Doctor writes that dark chocolate and berries are low in sugar

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Created on 16, March, 2022

A wellness article in a major news outlet written by a doctor states that sugar ("poison") is in everything, including ketchup and salad dressings, but that dark chocolate and berries are "low-sugar"...

For starters, there is no such claim in food labeling as "low in sugar," but if there were, and if we are comparing foods on a per-serving basis, the amount of sugar in dark chocolate (about 10 g) or strawberries (about 7 g) is higher than that in ketchup (4 g) or salad dressings (typically less than 4 g). Obviously, berries come with some beneficial nutrients (as does dark chocolate -- iron, fiber, etc.), but to judge foods by sugar content alone is misguided, especially when the sugar content/comparison is incorrect, as in this doctor's article. More important is to look at a whole meal (what is the ketchup or dressing being used on and how large are the portions?) to see total nutrition from the food components as a group. Each component/ingredient cannot be expected to provide all the nutrients needed in a day; no food would pass that test.