Sugar is tasty and gives you a quick burst of energy. However, a growing number of people are paying closer attention to their food choices, including the amount of sugar they consume.
Many popular diets recommend avoiding sugar and carbohydrates, but it’s important to understand that not all sugars are equal. Some foods have sugars that occur naturally. For instance, fruits have fructose and dairy products have lactose. Added sugars are sugars that are added to foods either during processing or when you prepare them, like adding honey to cereal.
A lot of people in the United States eat around 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day, which is more than what is recommended. Consuming excessive amounts of added sugar is associated with health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay. It’s not necessary to completely avoid sugar. However, it is important to be aware of how much sugar you consume and which foods may have hidden sugar.
How Much Sugar You Should Have Per Day?
Sugar is not necessary for our bodies, so there is no recommended amount that we need to consume every day. However, experts have established a maximum amount of sugar that is considered excessive. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you should limit the amount of calories you consume from added sugar to less than 10% per day.
If you’re not sure what “added sugars” are, let me explain. There are a lot of foods that have natural sugar in them. Some examples are fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. Added sugars are sweeteners that food manufacturers add to enhance the taste of processed foods. When you look at food labels, you will find ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, honey, sucrose, and fructose listed.
If you consume an average of 2,000 calories per day, it is recommended that you limit your intake of added sugar to less than 200 calories. The amount is equivalent to 50 grams of sugar, which is approximately 12 teaspoons.
However, it’s important to note that not everyone needs to consume 2,000 calories per day as a recommended daily intake. The amount of food you need depends on your age, gender, how active you are, your weight loss goals, and whether you are pregnant or not.
On average, women need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day, while men need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day. The amount of calories children need each day can be different. For example, a 2-year-old needs about 1,000 calories, while an active 16-year-old boy needs about 3,200 calories.
What About Natural Sugars?
Sugar is not only added to foods. Sugar is naturally present in some foods, like fruit and dairy milk. So, why is that not a major concern?
“Your body usually processes natural sugars better than added sugars used as sweeteners in food,” explains Czerwony. “In addition, many foods that contain natural sugar also provide other nutritional benefits that are not found in processed foods.”
While a banana or glass of milk may contain more sugar, they also provide other vitamins and nutrients that balance out the sweetness. You’re also less likely to eat too much fruit or milk compared to eating a whole bag of cookies. “Not many people come to us in healthcare with concerns about eating too many apples,” says Czerwony.
Natural vs. Added Sugar
Sugars are a type of carbohydrate, and carbohydrates are the body’s favorite source of energy. There are different kinds of sugars, such as:
- Glucose: A simple sugar that is the basic component of carbohydrates
- Fructose: Fructose is a simple sugar that is naturally found in fruits, root vegetables, and honey, just like glucose.
- Sucrose: Table sugar, also known as sucrose, is made up of equal parts fructose and glucose.
- Lactose: The sugar found naturally in milk is made up of equal parts of glucose and galactose.
When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is then used as a source of energy. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and dairy naturally contain sugars such as fructose, glucose, and lactose. Sugar is also found naturally in sugarcane and sugar beets in the form of sucrose. However, these plants are processed to create white sugar, which is then used as an ingredient in processed foods and beverages.
According to the USDA, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a type of sugar that is added to food and drinks. It is made from corn. Sucrose is made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. On the other hand, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) comes in two different types:
- HFCS-55 is a type of high fructose corn syrup that contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose. It is commonly used in soft drinks.
- HFCS-42 is a type of sweetener that contains 42% fructose and 58% glucose. It is commonly used in baked goods, beverages, and other products.
Honey, maple syrup, and agave are natural sugars. However, when they are added to foods, they are considered added sugars. Sugar can be processed and added to foods with different names, such as inverted sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, molasses, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, and others.
How to Identify Natural and Added Sugar in Foods?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods to help you make informed choices. Now, you can easily find out if there is added sugar in the food. Food companies are now required to include a line specifically for added sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel due to new label regulations. On the panel, you might notice a statement that says “Includes X grams of added sugar” under the category of “Sugars”.
For example, if a food contains 10 grams of sugar and the nutrition facts label states “includes 8 grams of added sugars,” it means that only 2 grams of sugar in the product are naturally present.
Make sure to also look at the list of ingredients. A dried fruit product may list “mangoes, sugar” as ingredients. This means that some of the sugar comes naturally from the mango, while the rest is added separately. If the list of ingredients only says “mangoes,” it means that the dried mangoes contain natural sugar and no additional sugar has been added.
Here’s an easy way to remember: fresh fruits, vegetables, and plain dairy products all have natural sugar. Anything else that is included is likely added.
Biggest Sources of Added Sugar
Almost half of the extra sugar in most people’s diets comes from sugary drinks. “According to Dr. Hiltunen, one popular soft drink in a 16 ounce bottle contains 51 grams of sugar, which is more than the recommended daily intake.”
“Sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, sweet tea, and sugary coffee drinks contain a lot of sugar.” Most people don’t realize how much sugar they consume through their drinks in a day. Some other common sources of added sugar are candy, cereal, baked goods, and desserts. Be aware of hidden sugar in foods like:
- Applesauce
- Energy bars
- Flavored yogurt
- Fruit snacks
- Ketchup
- Peanut butter
Why is Added Sugar Bad for You?
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar in your diet can lead to various health issues. Added sugar can have negative effects on your health. Some of these effects include:
- Cavities: The bacteria in your mouth consume sugar and produce acid as a result. Acid can damage tooth enamel and cause cavities.
- Diabetes: When you consume refined sugar, it causes a sudden increase in your blood sugar levels. As a result, your body needs to put in extra effort to lower your blood sugar back to normal. As time goes on, your ability to handle these sudden increases decreases and you may develop Type 2 diabetes.
- Heart disease: Having too much sugar in your blood can harm cells and tissues, especially blood vessels. Plaque buildup inside the blood vessels can cause damage and increase the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
- Weight gain: When you eat too much sugar, your body stores it as fat, which can make you gain weight. Additionally, if a large portion of your calorie intake comes from sugar, you may not be receiving the necessary nutrients. So, you will still feel hungry and are more likely to eat too much.
How Does Body React to So Much Sugar?
What should a smart shopper do? Many people are tempted to consider alternative sugars as a magical solution. Products that contain honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, turbinado sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, or dextrose are often seen as healthier options. Don’t be tricked. Your body is not attractive! Having an excessive amount of sugar is not good, regardless of where it comes from.
The key factor is how quickly the sugars are absorbed. For instance, when you eat an apple, your body takes longer to digest it because of the fiber it contains. As a result, the natural sugar in the apple is absorbed more slowly. However, the added sugar in soda enters your system all at once, similar to a sugar bomb. The additional sugar is converted into calories at a faster rate. Not good for your system!
If you want a sweetener with no calories, you should consider using a plant-based option like stevia or monk fruit. These sweeteners have been deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after reviewing published research.
How to Minimize Sugars in Your Diet?
Here is a list of foods to limit, ranked in order of importance:
- Soft Drinks: A 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 teaspoons of sugar.
- Fruit Juices: Fruit juices have the same amount of sugar as soft drinks. Instead, choose whole fruit or canned fruit without any added sweeteners.
- Candies and Sweets: It’s a good idea to eat fewer sweets.
- Baked Goods: These include various types of pastries such as cookies, cakes, and pies. These foods usually have a lot of sugar and processed carbohydrates.
- Low Fat or Diet Foods: Many foods that have had the fat removed from them contain a lot of sugar.
Instead of drinking soda or juices, choose water. Also, avoid adding sugar to your coffee or tea. If you want to avoid using sugar in recipes, you can experiment with using ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla, ginger, or lemon instead.
Explore your creativity by searching for recipes on the internet. Even if you remove all sugar from your diet, there are still countless delicious foods you can eat. Stevia and monk fruit are natural alternatives to sugar that have zero calories.
What Do Dietary Guidelines Say About Sugar?
The findings were based on observational data, which is consistent with the recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), World Cancer Research Fund, and American Institute for Cancer Research. These organizations all suggest limiting sugar intake to 6 teaspoons per day.
“It’s not surprising that the American Heart Association (AHA) has been recommending a limit of 6 teaspoons of added sugars per day for years,” said Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, founder of Nutrition Starring YOU, in an interview with Verywell. “Eating too much sugar can cause us to gain weight because we are consuming more calories than we need. It can also prevent us from getting important nutrients because sugary foods often have more calories and can replace healthier foods that help prevent diseases as we get older.”
Conclusion
Sugar consumption is becoming increasingly important, with many people consuming more than the recommended daily intake of sugar. Added sugars, added to foods during processing or preparation, are linked to health issues like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugar intake to less than 10% per day. Natural sugars, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products, are naturally present and provide additional nutritional benefits. Sugars are carbohydrate sources, and the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose for energy. Sugars like glucose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose are naturally found in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and dairy. Added sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are added to processed foods and beverages.
The FDA has updated the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods to help consumers identify natural and added sugar. Food companies are now required to include a line specifically for added sugar on the panel. Almost half of the extra sugar in most people’s diets comes from sugary drinks, such as sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, sweet tea, and sugary coffee drinks. Other common sources of added sugar include candy, cereal, baked goods, and desserts. Added sugar can lead to various health issues, such as cavities, diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, and not receiving necessary nutrients. To minimize sugars in your diet, choose whole fruit or canned fruit without added sweeteners, avoid sweets and baked goods, and limit sugar intake to 6 teaspoons per day. Dietary guidelines suggest limiting sugar intake to 6 teaspoons per day.
