Our bodies need some sugar for energy. But when we consume too much of it at once — which is easy to do when downing soft drinks, breakfast cereals and all kinds of ultra-processed foods — it gets stored as fat, which can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, among other problems.

Two-thirds of those who took the IFIC survey said they were trying to limit their sugar intake, and 11% said they were trying to avoid it entirely. Their main targets were added sugars in packaged foods and beverages, though some were also cutting back on the natural sugars present in foods like fruits and plain dairy products.

The reasons motivating this retreat from sugar were a combination of current and future health concerns.

What other concerns factor into our food choices?

We're not just thinking about ourselves when we decide what to eat. For many people, concerns about the way our food is produced matter when they decide whether to buy a particular food or beverage.

That concern extends to animals, to the people involved in all aspects of getting food onto our plates — from farmers to factory workers to grocery store or restaurant staff — and to the planet itself.

How do we gauge whether a food was made with the environment in mind?

The good news is that this is something more than 70% of survey-takers care about. The bad news is that there's no easy way to tell.

"There's no true definition of what makes a food environmentally sustainable," Sollid said. "There's not one thing someone can look to on a food package to tell them whether or not this choice is better than that one."

Instead, eco-conscious consumers use the following clues to guide them:

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