What is added sugar?

Sugars in our diet can be naturally occurring or added. Natural sugars are found in foods such as milk and fruit. Added sugars are additional sweeteners put in foods during processing or added at the table. These added sugars also contribute additional calories to our food.

Although sweeteners such as honey, agave, and molasses come from natural sources and are often viewed as "healthier" choices, they are still considered added sugars. The metabolism of all sugars follows a similar pathway, with the molecule glucose being the end result of digestion.

Dietary guidelines

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend Americans limit added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day. In a 2,000 calorie diet, the Dietary Guidelines recommendation translates to 12 tsp, 50 g, or 200 Calories of added sugars per day.

The American Heart Association further recommends to limit added sugars to no more than 100 calories a day (6 teaspoons/24 grams) for women and no more than 150 calories a day (9 teaspoons/36 grams) for men.

The average American consumes 17 tsp. of added sugars per day, which is over double the daily recommendation for women and almost double the daily recommendation for men from the American Heart Association. When tracking your sugar intake it may be useful to know that 1 teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams of sugar and contains about 15 calories.

How does too much added sugar affect your health?

Added sugars when consumed in excess, can contribute high amounts of calories to our diet leading to weight gain and obesity. Being overweight increases our risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and many other conditions.

According to the American Heart Association, too much added sugar may also increase our risk for dementia and Alzheimers, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Easy sugar swaps

• Add real fruit to plain yogurt.
• Use avocado as a condiment.
• Swap dried or canned fruit for fresh.
• Try salsa instead of ketchup.
• Drizzle oil and vinegar on salad.
• Sip sparkling water rather than soda.
• Sprinkle cinnamon in your coffee.
• Eat berries or other fruit as dessert.
• Swap granola bars for nuts.

What about alternative sweeteners?

Alternative sweeteners may be added to foods to enhance sweetness without adding any additional calories. Because these sweeteners provide very little or no calories and no vitamins or minerals, they are often referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners. Using non-nutritive sweeteners one way to limit calories in order to achieve or maintain a healthy weight and can be beneficial in helping those with diabetes manage blood sugars. Common non-nutritive sweeteners are listed below. Although research is ongoing to determine how these sweeteners interact with our bodies, they are "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA.

• Aspartame (NutraSweet® and Equal)
• Acesulfame-K (Sweet One)
• Neotame
• Saccharin (Sweet’N Low)
• Sucralose (Splenda)
• Monk Fruit
• Stevia (Truvia)