Do you know how much much sugar the average American consumes over a year. It is a whopping 135 pounds per person. Twenty years ago it was just twenty six pounds. Most worryingly, is the amount of sugar the average teenage male consumes – 34 teaspoons of sugar per day. Most of the sugar consumed comes from refined sugars, such as, cane sugar, corn syrup and corn sugar, many of these sugars are in soft drinks.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are :
- Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
- Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).
That does not mean 4 cups of coffee with 2 teaspoons each guys!
Added Sugars vs Natural Sugars – Big Difference
It is very important to make the distinction between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables.
These are healthy foods that contain water, fiber and various micronutrients. The naturally occurring sugars are absolutely fine.
However, added sugars are those that are added to foods. The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup.
If you want to lose weight and optimize your health, then you should do your best to avoid foods that contain added sugars.
How to Minimize Sugars in The Diet
Avoid these foods, in order of importance:
- Soft drinks: Sugar-sweetened beverages are awful, you should avoid these like the plague.
- Fruit juices: This may surprise you, but fruit juices actually contain the same amount of sugar as soft drinks!
- Candies and sweets: You should drastically limit your consumption of sweets.
- Baked goods: Cookies, cakes, etc. These tend to be very high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- Fruits canned in syrup: Choose fresh fruits instead.
- Low-Fat or Diet Foods: Foods that have had the fat removed from them are often very high in sugar.
- Dried fruits: Avoid dried fruits as much as possible.
