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The grocery store aisles are lined with products that contain added sugars. Sometimes, sugars are found in obvious places, like cookies and ice cream. However, sugars are also hidden in pasta sauce and salad dressing. Over 65 percent of foods in the average grocery store contain added sugars.
Consuming sugar in moderation is fine as part of a balanced diet, and it is nice to have some sweet treats occasionally because they taste good. Unfortunately, many Americans get too much added sugar, which is linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.
So, how much sugar is a reasonable amount to consume daily? And does it matter if the sugars come from candy, soda, or fresh fruit? Let’s find out.
Types of Sugars
Here are a few important terms to know about sugars:
Natural sugars
These sugars occur naturally in foods and are not added in the manufacturing process. Examples of natural sugars include sugars found in fruit, sweet vegetables, and milk, such as lactose and fructose. These foods are part of a well-balanced diet, even though they contain some natural sugars.
Added Sugars or Free Sugars
In the United States, “added sugars” describes any sweetener added to foods or beverages during manufacturing. The list of added sugars includes:
- White sugars: including granulated and icing sugars
- Brown sugars: including turbinado, dark brown, and light brown sugars
- Honey
- Syrups: including maple, agave, corn, and high fructose corn syrup
- Fruit juice or fruit juice concentrates
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the term “free sugars” to describe these sugars. “Free sugars” means the same as the US term “added sugars.” In the article, the terms “added sugars” and “free sugars” are used interchangeably and mean the same thing.
Total Sugars
Total sugars represent the total of all of the sugars listed above. Adding up natural and added sugars will give you the value for total sugars.
Nutrition Facts labels list total sugars and added sugars. The difference between these numbers is natural sugars. For example, chocolate milk contains natural lactose sugar and added sugar. The Nutrition Facts label may say:
- 23 g total sugars
- Including 11 grams of added sugar
That means the difference is natural sugars: 23 – 11 = 12. So, 12 grams are natural lactose sugars.
How Much Sugar Can I Have Per Day?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Americans get about 17 teaspoons of added sugars daily. That’s too much sugar, says the AHA, who recommend that:
- Men consume no more than nine teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day.
- Women consume no more than six teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day.
The WHO and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide more leeway. The WHO and the DGA recommend reducing the intake of added or free sugars to less than 10 percent of total calorie intake. In a 2000-calorie diet, that would be no more than 12 teaspoons (48 grams or 200 calories) per day.
Whether you cap your sugar intake at six, nine, or 12 teaspoons daily, it’s still better than the current national average of 17 teaspoons. If your added sugar intake is currently high, any reduction is beneficial.
Natural vs. Added Sugars: Guidance
Sugar guidelines recommend limiting added or free sugars but not restricting natural sugars. Why is that?
Natural sugars are found in vegetables, fruit, and milk. These are nourishing foods that form the building blocks of a nutritious diet. They contain helpful nutrients that the body needs. The positive nutrients – such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber, outweigh the sugar.
Vegetables and fruits contain fiber, which helps make us feel full and satisfied. While it is easy to over-consume added sugar in candy or soda, fruit is more filling. That means we usually eat fruit in smaller amounts than when we drink soda or juice and get less sugar from it.
The natural sugar in milk is lactose. It has a low glycemic index (GI) of 46, which means it digests slowly and does not spike blood sugar levels. For comparison, white sugar has a medium GI of 60, and glucose syrup has a high GI of 100. These refined sugars are more problematic for blood sugar spikes.
You can eat fruit and vegetables or drink milk daily as part of a healthy, balanced diet. The natural sugars in these foods are not part of the AHA, WHO, or DGA limits on added sugars.
Which Foods Contain Sugar? And How Much?
Many foods contain natural or added sugars or both. Here is the natural sugar content of some common foods:
| Natural Sugars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Food | Amount | Natural sugars |
| Apple | 1 medium | 20 g |
| Banana | 1 medium | 20 g |
| Blueberries | 1 cup | 15 g |
| Peach | 1 medium | 13 g |
| Beets | 1 cup | 13 g |
| Watermelon | 1 cup | 12 g |
| Milk 2% | 1 cup | 12 g |
| Cantaloupe | 1 cup | 12 g |
| Strawberries | 1 cup | 8 g |
| Raspberries | 1 cup | 6 g |
| Carrot | 1 medium | 3 g |
Added Sugars
Many packaged foods and drinks contain added sugars, which can be listed by many different names, including:
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Invert sugar
- Sucrose
- Glucose
- High fructose corn syrup
- Honey
- Agave
- Coconut sap syrup
- Evaporated cane juice
- Fruit juice concentrate
Foods and drinks with the most sugar include candy, soda, and baked goods. Here is the added sugar content of some common foods:
| Added Sugars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Food | Amount | Added sugars |
| Cola | 16.9 oz. | 56 g |
| Apple juice | 16.9 oz | 53 g |
| Pound cake | 1 slice (115 g) | 38 g |
| Licorice | 1 bag (60 g) | 35 g |
| Gummy candy | 1 bag (60 g) | 35 g |
| Candy bar | 1 bar (48 g) | 24 g |
| Donut | 75 g | 20 g |
| Sugary cereal | 30 g | 11 g |
| Cookies | 2 cookies (30 g) | 10 g |
| Granola bar | 1 bar (24 g) | 7 g |
| Sweet salad dressing | 2 tbsp | 6 g |
| Pasta sauce | 1/2 cup | 6 g |
| Ketchup | 1 tbsp | 4 g |
How to Reduce Your Sugar Intake
If your sugar intake exceeds 12 teaspoons per day, consider cutting back. Here are some things you can do:
- Choose water instead of soda, sweet tea, or juice. Flavor your water with fresh fruit, a squeeze of citrus, mint leaves, or a cinnamon stick.
- Instead of sweet dessert after every meal, swap out baked goods like cookies and cake for fruit more often.
- Cut back slowly. Try adding a quarter or half the sugar to recipes.
- Plan nutrient-dense snacks ahead of time so you are less likely to choose candy.
- Keep cut-up fruit in containers for easy snacking.
- Eat more whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and nuts, rather than ultra-processed foods like candy and baked goods.
- Read Nutrition Facts labels and look at sugar content for added sugars. And know this calculation: 1 tsp sugar = 4 grams. So if the Nutrition Facts says the candy bar has 24 g of sugar, know that 24 g divided by 4 grams = 6 teaspoons of sugar per candy bar.
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