WASHINGTON, June 24 / -- As summer approaches, Americans start to dream of sweets.  In fact, nearly 30% of those surveyed associate sweet icy treats with summer – ice cream, popsicles and frozen yogurt, to name a few. 

Americans love sweets so much, that they are less than resolute when it comes to passing them up, despite the potential toll on their summer swimsuit look.  A new survey conducted by the Corn Refiners Association shows that almost 28% of respondents don't want to choose between looking trim and enjoying their favorite foods.

So what's a girl to do?  A less revealing swimsuit may seem like an answer, according to 40% of the women questioned compared with 35% who would cut back on summer treats.  But while a body suit is indeed an option, there is a simpler and healthier solution: maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoy sweets in moderation – while remembering that all sugar is the same.

"You can enjoy sweets if you consider your total calorie picture for the day - think about what you're choosing to eat based on how much physical activity you'll be getting" says Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., assistant professor and Director of Sports Nutrition at Penn State University.  "Try hard to eat well balanced meals and exercise 30 minutes a day - then if you feel like a sweet, enjoy it!"

Sugar comes from many sources: corn, cane, beets and bees.  But regardless of how it is made, sugar is sugar.

"Many people do not understand why sugars are in foods like cereals, breads, yogurts, and spaghetti sauces, for example," says Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association.  "In fact, many of these foods require sugars for fermentation or high fructose corn syrup to add moisture.  Whether the sugar comes from corn, juice concentrates, cane, beets, or honey, they all contain four calories per gram and are handled the same by the body."

For the one in five Americans who call themselves "failures" when it comes to sweet temptations – the news is good.  To manage your weight, counting calories is best, taking care to burn off just as many calories as you take in.  With this in mind, you can have your popsicle – and eat it too. 

This online survey was conducted using the field services of TNS.  The study reached a national sample of 1,000 American adults ages 18 and older.  Findings from the survey look at total Americans, and statistically significant differences between women and men.

The margin of error for the total sample is +/-3.1% at the 95% confidence level.  This means that if we were to replicate the study, we would expect to get the same results (within 3.1 percentage points) 95 times out of 100. 

For more information, please visit www.SweetSurprise.com.

CRA is the national trade association representing the corn refining (wet milling) industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, bioproducts, corn oil, and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein, and fiber.

SOURCE Corn Refiners Association