Pop Quiz Answer: Holy Sweetness!

Put down the jelly donut for this one...



Q: How many teaspoons of sugar does the average American consume a day??


Answer:  22-30 teaspoons/day =92-126 grams= 350-475 calories
(from Nutrition Action 12/09)

Eekkkk...That's one sugar high.

The majority is found in beverages, dairy, cereal, sweets, candy, canned fruit, granola bars, and some bread products. You'll even find it in condiments and salad dressings.

Other sugar names to look for: agave syrup, juice concentrate, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, glucose, fructose, evaporated cane juice

Beverages are the worst, check these out (tsp=teaspoon):

Min. Maid Lemonade: 17 tsp
SoBE Green Tea: 15.5 tsp             
Coke: 10 tsp
Gatorade: 8.5 tsp

Nestle Iced Tea: 12 tsp
-->Tonic Water (schweppes): 14 tsp sugar
Thirsty?



K, so what's an OK amount to consume per day?

Women: < 6.5 teaspoons A DAY (less than 100 calories)
Men: < 9.5 teaspoons A DAY (less than 250 calories)

If you're reading food labels, and ya should:
6.5 teaspoon= 27 grams sugar (women)
 9.5 teaspoons= 40 grams sugar (men)