While added sugar isn’t the only thing to blame for our ballooning waistlines and less healthy status, a recent estimate has Americans taking in a whopping 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, most of this from regular soda and sweets. So, how much sugar per day is recommended?
Imagine eating an extra full size candy bar and drinking two cans of soda – 355 calories in all – every day.
Sugar consumption in this country is up 19% since 1970, now reaching levels that are a whole lot higher than they should be according to the August 2009 scientific statement out of the American Heart Association.
Added sugars are used in the processing or preparation foods, and do not include the natural sugars in items like fruit, dairy or vegetables.
It’s the added sugar from foods like cookies, candy, cakes, pies, sweet rolls, cinnamon and worst of all, regular soda and fruity drinks that has experts so worried.
Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugar in our diet – A 12-ounce can of soda has a huge 8 teaspoons of sugar, about 130 calories.
While always urging moderation in added sugar intake, this time the American Heart Association took things a step further and suggests a specific upper limit on sugar intake.
According to the latest recommendations, a woman’s added sugar intake shouldn’t be more than 6 teaspoons a day (100 calories); for men the number jumps to 9 teaspoons (150 calories) per day.
As much as possible, added sugars should be no more than half your discretionary calories – In other words, eaten sparingly.
Of course knowing how much sugar you should be eating, and doing just that are two different things.
Experts realize this and know cutting added sugar isn’t easy – But it is possible, not to mention good for your body. “Take a good hard look at your diet,” advises study lead author Rachel K. Johnson, professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington. “Figure out where the sources of added sugars are and think about how to cut back on that.”
Some examples to give you an idea of the amount of added sugars in foods:
- 8 ounces of fruit-flavored yogurt has about 6 teaspoons of added sugar
- 8 ounces of low-fat chocolate milk has about 4 teaspoons
- a cup of frosted whole grain cereal has about 3 teaspoons
And while we expect added sugar to be in sweets and regular sodas and juices, it can be hard to figure out just how much sugar you’re taking in from other foods, especially since the government doesn’t require that labels show the difference between artificial and natural sugars.
You can check many foods for yourself by going to the U.S. Department of Agriculture database where you’ll find listings for over 2,000 common foods.
Once you start looking, you’ll be amazed at how many foods (and drinks) have added sugar. Read labels and you’ll find sugars like brown sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, fructose, dextrose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, molasses, concentrated fruit juice, honey or evaporated cane juice, usually as one of the first four ingredients listed.
By limiting your intake of these ingredients you’ll cut the number of total calories you take in each day.
Another thing you’ll want to look at is how many calories you drink each day. Those rich coffee drinks or soothing smoothies add up, and faster than you think.
Keep track of the number of these drinks you have each day and you’ll be startled by the amount of liquid calories you’re taking into your body.
What’s worse, by drinking your calories you don’t get the chance to fill up, and are likely to eat and drink more than you need to, and therefore have a greater risk of gaining weight.
If you find you really and truly can’t live without some of these sugary foods in your life, even though you are aware how much sugar per day you may eat by being watchful of your diet, then what you should be doing instead, is to get up and get moving.
To see how this helps – A man in his 20s who walks more than 3 miles a day can burn off the equivalent of 288 calories (about 18 teaspoons) of added sugar.
