Nancy Dell: Reducing sugar intake & Easter egg safety

1. My family is at risk for heart disease so we are planning fat free desserts for Easter. Isn't the sugar in these just as bad? Tanya, Internet

Sugar is sweet but too much can sour your health. Experts say too much of all forms of sugar, table sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, can increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer.

The American Heart Association recommends women limit the added sugar they eat to 25 grams per day or 6 teaspoons and men limit it to 38 grams or about 9 teaspoons a day.

Just one can of regular soda can have 10 teaspoons of sugar. A brownie that is 4 bites big has almost 7 teaspoons of sugar and an ounce of dark chocolate the size of my thumb can have about 3 teaspoons of added sugar.

So read your labels to stay within your sugar budget and reduce your risk of many diseases. Train your taste buds to satisfy your sweet tooth with more fruits that have natural sugar.


2. I make Easter Eggs with my kids. How long do they keep safe in the refrigerator? How long at room temperature when we hide them? Chris, Agawam

You want to keep your Easter eggs from going bad because the symptoms of food poisoning are no fun. They are similar to the flu, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, or possibly a fever. They usually appear within 4 to 48 hours after eating a spoiled food but it may take up to 2 weeks to have symptoms. The symptoms usually start within 4 to 48 hours after eating a spoiled food but it may take up to 2 weeks to have symptoms.

The USDA says you can keep hard boiled eggs safe in your refrigerator for 1 week. You can leave the eggs at room temperature for 2 hours maximum. Bacteria grow rapidly at warm temperatures so longer than 2 hours can cause food poisoning.