Monday, May 17, 2010

My Daily Intake of Added Sugar

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Ours was very relaxing, and sunny (finally!). Of course today it's raining again, but at least it held off for the weekend.

Today I'm posting about sugar. I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again; the latest research suggests that the added sugars found throughout our food supply are contributing to our greater risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends:

No more than: 100 calories/6.5 tsp/~27 grams of sugar per day for women

No more than: 150 calories/10 tsp/40 grams of sugar per day for men

Not fair? These recommendations are based off of the fact that men typically eat more calories than females, I'm quite sure.

The other day I decided to count how many grams of "added sugar" I get in my diet. As a reminder, "added sugar" is any sugar added to your food either by manufacturers or by you. If you add sugar to your coffee, honey to your oats, or agave nectar to your smoothies, those are all "added sugars". If you eat a container of plain yogurt or a large apple, the sugar on the nutrition facts are "natural sugars". In other words, fruits and dairy have fructose, or lactose respectively. These aren't added, as they are the natural sugars found in these foods. When you buy fruit juice, dried fruit, or flavored yogurts you are likely getting some "added sugar", unless the label says "no added sugar". Typically one serving of milk/dairy, has about 12 grams of "natural sugar", and one serving of whole fruit has about 15 grams of "natural sugar". If your product has more than that, it's likely "added sugar".

My Typical Consumption of Added Sugar

Morning

~2 T flavored soy yogurt or flavored Greek yogurt (the label says 18 grams of sugar per container. 2 T is about 1/4 of the container. About 12 grams of that sugar is natural lactose, therefore about 7 grams are from added sugar. 7 divided by 4 is about 2 grams added sugar)


Snack

1/2 cup FODMAPS granola (I use about 7 T molasses in the recipe, which has 14 grams of sugar per T. 7 times 14 is 98 grams of added sugar. There are about ten 1/2 cup servings per batch. 98 divided by 10 is about 10 grams added sugar.)


~2 T Smart Balance peanut butter (While the peanut butter is "all natural" it's an example of a product that isn't as natural as it could be. They add concentrated cane juice and molasses, which is what provides the 3 grams of added sugar per 2 T).


Dessert
2 Squares Lindt's 85% Dark Chocolate (One of the great things about real dark chocolate is that there is very little added sugar. This chocolate provides 5 grams "added sugar" per 4 squares. Therefore I get about 2.5 added sugars from this product).


~ 1/2-3/4 cup homemade frozen yogurt (There are about 80 grams of sugar in each of my batches of frozen yogurt. Each batch makes about ten, 1/2 cup servings. This means I get about 8-12 grams of added sugar from this.)


TOTAL: 25.5-29.5 grams of added sugar. I'm doing well! The recommendation is 27 grams, and I'm clearly going a bit over that on some days (and I'm sure there are days when I consume closer to 40 or 50 grams...). Am I going to make any changes? Nope! I exercise regularly and eat a very healthy diet. No need to get too stringent. I would guess my average daily consumption is closer to 30-35 grams of added sugar, when I factor in those occasional weddings, birthdays, etc. (I can't say no to cake, ever). I know myself well and if I cut down on my sugar any more that would lead to a sugar binge eventually. No Bueno.

Question: How much "added sugar" do you think you consume? Do you want to make any changes?

Coming Up

Tomorrow I will be posting a new recipe and some information about a favorite FRUIT of mine; the Avocado.

Thanks for reading, and have a fabulous Monday!

30 comments :

  1. I can't wait to see what you post about avocados. I am intrigued now and want to see how much sugar I get each day, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fabulous post Gina! Love that you're always making nutrition practical! We need more of that:) And, I totally agree on cutting sugar down more. If you totally cut it out or severely limit sugar, that very well could lead to a sugar binge! We need to remember the pluses and minuses of everything and know what works for our own bodies! Again, fabulous post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I need to do this. I'm trying to cut back on my added sugars. I gave up my cup of sugar with a drop of coffee, so I'm on my way!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really have no idea. I think tomorrow I'm going to track my intake to see where I stand.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I tracked my sugar intake for the month of February, and was amazed on some days by how much (and on some days, how little) added sugar I was getting. It sneaks into everything, and those 2-3 grams at each meal or snack really add up quickly!! I challenged myself to do a few days of NO added sugar intake, and I think I only did it one day. It was much harder than I thought it would be!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wonder how much added sugar I consume daily?! Would be fun to calculate it for the day! You are doing good with your sugar intake for sure!!

    Yay avocados!!!!!!!! Yummy! Glad you had a great weekend love!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really should try to keep track of my sugar. I like the way u described the difference of added sugars. That helps me determine what is added in my food :) I am so excited for a new avocado recipe! I can eat like one of those a day haha..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for clearing this up for me! I eat a TON of fruit and end up getting about 60-70g of sugar from it daily!! I started freaking out over this- but then I realized that the other foods I usually eat only lend about 4-10g of sugar daily. PHEW!

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's amazing how quickly things add up- I wouldn't have a CLUE how much I consume (and don't want to figure it out...hehe). A bigger concern for me is artificial sweeteners which is something I am working on.

    Have a great Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hmm I have no idea how many I consume! I should probably count one day! It is easy to forget about added sugar in certain foods like Chobani.

    ReplyDelete
  11. oh what a good idea to add them up to see! I have a feeling I eat WAY too much sugar! I have a horrible sweet tooth but I limit much of the added sweetness during the day for a treat at night!

    ReplyDelete
  12. an avocado is a fruit?! I had no idea lol. I think I probably get the recommended amount of added sugar per day. I eat a lot of fruit and greek yogurt and don't add sugar to anything. But it would interesting to count just to make sure. Have a fabulous Monday as well!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I bet my average added sugar intake is on the lower side. My sweets usually come from fruit and the occasional dark chocolate. I'd have to look at my bread though, I bet there is added sugar in there for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  14. most days i get about the average recommended sugar.. but some days its FAR less.. and then other days FAR more. and when i do go over my sugar budget for my body.. boy do i feel it! yuckie. but i agree.. totally sucks that guys always get the best option. .they can eat more of anything really :( lol

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'd like to say most days I am able to stay under the recommended limit, but some days I'm sure I go over. I came home for part of the summer, and the house is loaded with Lindt chocolate truffles...boy are those addicting!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm really not a sweets person so I'm assuming I stay under the recommendations... I guess I'm a little confused on how you know how much sugar a company has added...

    ReplyDelete
  17. added sugar-scary! i know i get way too much!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey love!!!! this is a great post...I need to pay attention to sugar (someone VERY wise told me to keep an eye on it lol) so this was very informative.

    ReplyDelete
  19. wow this was an awesome post! i loved seeing the difference between the added and natural sugars! you ARE good with your shoogs ;)

    i guess my sugar free jelly would past the test ;) hahaha i kid i kid

    ReplyDelete
  20. Totally fascinating! I've never checked to see how much added sugar I'm consuming.

    Avocado's get a big YUM!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is great to be aware of and to learn about the different types of sugar!

    ReplyDelete
  22. so interesting! makes me think about how much added sugar I have on a daily basis! i do love sugar :)

    cant wait to see what you post about avocados!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Very interesting. I don't pay as much attention as I should, always figuring that I work out and generally eat healthy, so what harm does a little sugar do? But it is important to be cognizant of how much I am eating. I'm going to play closer attention. Thanks for the reminder :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Love this post... helps me get an idea how to calculate. And how do you make homemade frozen yogurt?! Awesome idea.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 100 cal? Sigh. Although, knowing chocolate is still allowable in some form is something to celebrate ;)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have to throw the devil's advocate voice out there and say added sugars do not phase me as much as most people, and when I see some extremely active people purposely avoiding them it worries me. For an average American, sure, they don't need it. But for people moving a lot added sugars are an easy way to give the body simple calories to use

    And I would suspect that Chobani has more than 2g of added sugar, considering a plain has only 7g lactose and there is less yogurt in a fruity flavor

    ReplyDelete
  27. Whole heartedly agree that added sugar is a huge contributor to disease! I like your dietary analysis of added sugars. I would love to do the same..you've inspired me!

    Thanks for the bday wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I try to watch my added sugars too! I prefer plain yogurt and to add in my own fruit, and am not much of a sugar eater anyway. I love avocados! Can't wait to see your new recipe

    ReplyDelete
  29. I know I eat too much added sugar. But I'm working on it. I'm trying to buy regular soymilk vs. vanilla soymilk to start...

    ReplyDelete