How Much Sugar Should You Really Consume Each Day? Expert Weighs In

Sugar seems very tempting and thus we tend to consume it throughout the day in different ways. There’s an underlying myth that only those who have diabetes or who are trying to lose weight should cut down their sugar consumption. However, excess sugar consumption is never good for health even if you are not suffering from any disease. But do you know how much sugar you should consume in a day? Scroll down to learn the same from the expert, Tanya Mehra, a Certified Child Nutritionist.

Tanya Mehra said, “The amount of sugar you should consume in a day varies depending on factors such as age, sex, weight, activity level, and overall health.”

“However, the American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day for women and 36 grams (9 teaspoons) per day for men. It's important to note that this recommendation excludes naturally occurring sugars found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, which are part of a balanced diet,” added Tanya Mehra.

Types Of Sugar We Consume

We think that sugar is only limited to the amount we take in our tea, coffee or milk. But we consume sugar throughout the day in different ways as added sugar. There are two types of sugar we consume namely, added sugar and natural sugar.

Added sugar is added to the food items (amount of sugar everyday food items contain). We consume added sugar through sports drinks, pasta sauce, ketchup, protein bars, barbecue sauces, granola bars, breakfast cereals, canned fruit, and chocolate milk, dried fruit.

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Natural sugar is those that are not added to food items. We consume natural sugars through fruits, greek yoghurt, carrots and sweet potatoes.

How Much Sugar Should You Consume?

According to experts, The amount of sugar (how to control sugar cravings) you should consume in a day varies depending on factors such as age, sex, weight, activity level, and overall health. As per present dietary guidelines, one should consume added sugar less than 10% of the daily calorie intake. For instance, if you are consuming 2000 calories per day then your added sugar intake should be 200 calories.

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