How much sugar is a daily allowance

If the S-word makes your mouth water and images of ice cream-filled doughnuts dance in your head, we get it. Sugar is a craveable ingredient.

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommended daily sugar intake is 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Following these guidelines can be difficult, as sugar is in a ton of foods and added sugar is especially sneaky, popping up in places you might not even suspect.

You expect it to be in a soda but maybe not in your pasta sauce. Yet there it is, being a creeper in the form of barley malt — or some other weird name.

Whether you’re trying to cut down on added sugar or you just want to be more mindful about when you consume it, we’ve got this guide to show you what the recommended limits look like and how to stay under them.

The average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day. But government dietary guidelines recommend limiting added sugar to no more than 10 percent of calories per day — in a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 12 teaspoons or 200 calories’ worth of sugar, and the AHA’s added sugar limits are even lower.

So what does that mean, exactly? It’s confusing AF. That’s why we’ve put together two hypothetical daily menus to show you exactly what eating 50 grams and 25 grams of added sugar per day actually looks like.

Note: Unless the brand is noted in the graphics above, these numbers are estimates from the USDA nutrient database. We’re referring only to added sugar, not natural sugars (e.g., those found in milk or a sweet potato).

You might have noticed that added sugar in those menus is highest in “healthy” items, such as whole-grain cereal, stir-fry, spinach salad with dried cranberries, and popcorn.

Added sugar lurks in processed foods, dried fruit, sauces, and condiments. “That means you have to learn to be a better label reader and know the various forms of sugar so that you can identify them,” says Chicago-based dietitian and chef Sara Haas, RDN, LDN.

Check your pasta sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, and basically anything else in a jar.

Sugar has many aliases, such as high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, malt syrup, sucrose, confectioners’ sugar, dextrose, agave, and maple syrup. The list goes on.

The good news is that counting added sugar in grams is getting easier, thanks to changes in food label requirements. Many products already include an indented line for added sugars under the total sugar amount.

By 2020, companies with more than $10 million in revenue will be required by law to include the total added sugar in grams. And by 2021, companies with less revenue will be required to follow suit.

Our bodies don’t need added sugar to survive. DiNicolantonio JJ, et al. (2016). Added sugars drive nutrient and energy deficit in obesity: A new paradigm. DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2016-000469 We get plenty of natural sugars from foods, including from fruit and dairy. And carbs convert to sugar, or glucose, in the bloodstream.

Piling on the added sugar can lead to insulin resistance, and that can drive a whole host of problems like diabetes and coronary heart disease. DiNicolantonio JJ, et al. (2017). Added sugars drive coronary heart disease via insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia: A new paradigm. DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2017-000729

Plus, just like booze, added sugar takes its toll on your liver. Eating it in excess puts you at a greater risk for developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), even if you’re not overweight. Jensen T, et al. (2018). Fructose and sugar: A major mediator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.01.019

Does this mean you have to police your food labels all day? Of course not.

Understanding added sugar is about empowerment and having the tools to cut back if you’re worried about the possible health effects.

And if you’re tired of the roller coaster of sugar highs followed by the dreaded plummets and you want to get off the rickety ride, checking your daily sugar consumption can help.

After a few days of reading food labels, you’ll be an added-sugar pro. Then you can eat it only when you want to — like on a dessert date with a pal — rather than having it show up uninvited in your afternoon snack.

The average person in the United States consumes around 17 teaspoons, or 71.14 grams, of added sugar per day, which far exceeds recommended limits.

A gram (g) of sugar contains about 4 calories, which means that many people consume almost 270 calories a day from added sugar alone.

People sometimes describe calories from sugar as “empty calories” because they do not provide any nutrients.

Eating too much sugar can increase a person’s risk of many health problems, including weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and tooth decay.

In this article, we look at the recommended sugar limits for different types of people and provide information on how to reduce the intake of sugar.

Discretionary calories are those that are left over once a person has met their daily nutritional needs.

A person who has consumed calories from high-nutrient foods throughout the day can use up this extra calorie allowance on treats, such as sugary or fatty foods.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that sugary foods comprise no more than half of a person’s daily discretionary calorie allowance.

This allowance differs for men, women, and children.

Men

According to AHA guidelines, most men should consume no more than 150 discretionary calories of sugar per day. This is equivalent to 38 g or 9 teaspoons (tsp) of sugar.

Women

Women should use no more than 100 discretionary calories on sugar per day. This is around 25 g or 6 tsp of sugar.

Children

Children between the ages of 2 and 18 should consume no more than 25 g, or 6 tsp, of added sugar daily.

People with diabetes

Diabetes makes it difficult for the body to use glucose effectively. Since the body converts both naturally occurring and added sugars into glucose, people with diabetes must monitor their overall sugar intake.

But some foods affect blood glucose levels more than others, depending on their glycemic index (GI). Foods with a higher GI raise blood glucose more than foods with a lower GI.

A person with diabetes should regularly check their blood glucose level to ensure that it is within a safe range. This range will vary slightly from person to person.

Avoiding added sugars and focusing on consuming the right amounts of fiber and nutrient-dense carbohydrates from whole foods can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Certain whole foods contain naturally occurring sugars.

For example, fruits and some vegetables contain the sugar fructose, and milk contains a sugar called lactose. These foods also contain nutrients and may be sources of dietary fiber.

Added sugars are sugars or caloric sweeteners that manufacturers put in foods or drinks.

Added sugars can be natural or chemically manufactured. A type of sugar can be “natural” (i.e. unprocessed) without being “naturally occurring.”

Examples of natural sugars that manufacturers add to provide sweetness include honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar.

Even fructose and lactose qualify as added sugars in many processed foods.

Examples of added sugars to look for on food labels include:

• refined white sugar
• brown sugar
• raw sugar
• invert sugar
• malt sugar
• coconut sugar
• molasses
• syrup
• maple syrup
• corn syrup
• high-fructose corn syrup
• corn sweetener
• honey
• fruit juice concentrates
• sugar molecules ending in “ose,” such as fructose, glucose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose

People can reduce their intake of added sugar by:

Avoiding liquid sugar

Liquid sugar is in soft drinks and juices. The body digests it more quickly than the sugar in foods, and as a result, liquid sugar causes a greater spike in blood glucose levels.

If a person drinks sugary liquids on a regular basis, the repeated spikes in blood glucose can overload the pancreas and liver, causing health problems.

Sodas tend to contain the highest amounts of liquid sugar. A 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 tsp of sugar, or 130 empty calories.

The following drinks may also contain liquid sugar:

• fruit juices and smoothies
• high-energy drinks or sports drinks
• chocolate or flavored milk

Avoiding packaged foods

Research suggests that about 75 percent of packaged foods in supermarkets contain added sweeteners.

Examples of packaged foods that may contain added sugar include:

• candies and chocolate
• desserts
• breakfast bars
• breakfast cereals
• yogurt
• savory snacks
• sauces and salad dressings
• milk and soy beverages
• canned, frozen, and dried fruit

Swapping added sugars for natural alternatives

The following tips can help a person replace the added sugar in their diet with more healthful alternatives:

• Try adding mint leaves, cucumber, berries, or citrus fruit to plain or sparkling water.
• Swap sweets and desserts for fruit, but avoid canned fruit in syrup.
• Prepare homemade sauces and salad dressings.
• Replace store-bought granola and snack mixes with homemade varieties that include unsweetened dried fruits and non-frosted wholegrain cereals.
• When cooking or baking, use unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas instead of sugar.
• Stop using sugar in tea and coffee or reduce the amount.
• Use herbs and spices instead of sauces that contain added sugar.

Trying sugar alternatives

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) contain few or no calories.

Researchers have investigated whether replacing sugary foods and drinks with sugar-free options containing NNSs may help people consume fewer calories and maintain a healthy weight. They have reached differing conclusions.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the following NNSs for use in food:

• acesulfame K, such as Sweet One
• advantame
• aspartame, such as NutraSweet and Equal
• neotame
• saccharin, such as Sweet’N Low
• sucralose, such as Splenda

Stevia is another type of NNS that the FDA consider to be “generally recognized as safe.” This means that experts agree that recommended amounts are safe to use.

It is best to limit the intake of NNSs and pay attention to overall calories consumed per day, as NNSs can lead to cravings and overeating.

Emerging research suggests that artificial sweeteners may have negative effects on metabolism, gut health, and cravings, but confirming these findings will require more research.

The average person in the U.S. consumes an excessive amount of added sugar, and experts have linked high sugar consumption to a range of diseases.

People can reduce their health risks by cutting down on the amount of added sugar in their diet. This may require a person to carefully check food and drink labels for different forms of sugar.

People can also gain more control over their sugar intake by preparing homemade meals and snacks using fresh, whole produce.