While you may be skipping cookies, cake and ice cream in an effort to consume less added sugar, chances are you’re still eating more sugar than you realize. That’s because added sugar hides in many commonly consumed foods – even ones that aren’t super sweet.
Eating too much added sugar may contribute to excessive calorie intake, obesity and chronic diseases like heart disease, certain types of cancer and Type 2 diabetes.
Added Sugar Guidelines
According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, all Americans over two years old should consume less than 10% of calories from added sugars per day. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that means no more than 200 calories of added sugar, or 50 grams of sugar (about 12 teaspoons of sugar), per day. According to those same guidelines, toddlers and infants under two years old should not consume any added sugar.
The American Heart Association has even stricter guidelines that recommend women consume no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day (about six teaspoons) and men consume no more than 150 calories (about nine teaspoons).
On average, added sugars comprise 13% of our daily calorie intake and come primarily from several foods:
- Sweetened beverages.
- Desserts.
- Cakes, cookies and pie.
- Coffee and tea (with their additions).
- Candy.
These foods are sweet, so it may come as no big surprise. However, added sugar is also lurking in savory foods, like sauces and dressing. Food manufacturers often use sugar as a preservative to extend the shelf life of their products. Added sugar is frequently disguised by various names, including sucrose, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, honey, dextrose and coconut sugar. But all are simply another name for sugar.
One way to help reduce your added sugar intake is to read labels when you go supermarket shopping. Food labels now list how much added sugar is found in packaged products, making it easy to check your favorite foods and drinks and compare products.
The sugars in fruit and dairy are healthy and naturally occurring sugars and so do not fall under the category of added sugar. Fruit lovers don’t need to worry about the sugar in watermelon and berries.
While soda or sweetened iced tea are prime examples of drinks with added sugar, some everyday foods also have surprisingly high amounts of added sugar.
In my latest piece for US News and World Report, I share hidden sources of added sugar. Read on HERE as some of these foods may surprise you.
Have a healthy–and sweet!–week!
Warmly,
Lisa
Lisa R. Young, PhD, RDN
Cultivate these healthy habits to lose weight permanently