Added Sugar in our
Food – a Hidden
Health Risk?
By Karen Harrison
Sports Nutritionist, Exercise Scientist and Podiatrist
How much sugar
should we consume
on a daily basis?
Is there a healthy amount? Is too much sugar bad
for my health?
It has been said that the average American is
consuming approximately 20 teaspoons of “added”
sugar per day. That is the equivalent of about 80
g every day (1 teaspoon = 4 g). Is that too much?
YES!
To better understanding the sugar story, let’s firstly
make the distinction between the sugar that is
naturally found in dairy foods, fruit and vegetables,
and the “added” or extra sugar in our diet. Natural
sugars, consumed as part of a healthy, balanced diet
are perfectly acceptable. Sugars such as sucrose
(table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup that are
“added” during the preparation or processing of our
foods are a different matter.
For those of you interested in the biochemistry
and the way these extra sugars are dealt with by
the body try watching Sugar: The Bitter Truth by
Pediatric Endocrinologist Dr. Peter Lustig https://
www.“There is an increasing concern that free
sugars – particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened
beverages – increases overall energy intake and
may reduce the intake of foods containing more
nutritionally adequate calories, leading to an
unhealthy diet, weight gain and increased risk of
[chronic] diseases.”
WHO actually recommends only 5% of daily calories
come from added sugars (about 6 teaspoons per
day). The American Heart Association has similar,
recommendations, suggesting that the maximum
amount of added sugars consumed in a day
should not exceed 9 teaspoons (35g) for men and
6 teaspoons (25 g) for
women (or 10% of daily
calories).
To put those figures in
perspective, consider that
one can of coke (12fl oz.
or 355 ml) contains 140
calories and 39 g of sugar
(about 10 teaspoons).
That’s your daily
allowance of extra sugar
in just one small can!
Now, consider a hefty 20
oz. (591 ml) Mountain Dew
that contains a whopping
74 g serving of sugar,
combined with a generous
dose of caffeine at 91 mg
(a regular cup of coffee
contains about 95 mg caffeine). You can see
how easy it is to exceed the recommended
intake of added sugars.
While this finding regarding sodas might not
surprise you, often the added sugars in our
diet are “hidden”. For example, yogurt is
usually considered a healthy food, however
some of the low-fat varieties or those with
“fruit”, being promoted as a good option
are often loaded with extra sugar. Were you
aware that when fat is removed from a food
it is often replaced with added sugars to
improve the palatability of the food?
So how do we recognize foods that contain
these added sugars in order to reduce them
from our diet and instead choose foods that
are more nutritious? The answer is to become
a more educated consumer. Simply, eat
more REAL food. Reduce the processed or
packaged food that finds its way into your
grocery cart each week and read the nutrition
labels.