Do You Eat 22 Teaspoons of Sugar Each Day?

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

03 Sep 2009 09:34 AM

Do you eat twenty-two teaspoons of sugar every day? Before you scream no, think about this: a report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that the average American eats twenty-two teaspoons of added sugar per day.

Okay, that's an average... but that means while some folks eat less sugar than that, some eat MORE. What's worse? Teens tend to eat even more added sugar on a daily basis -- an average thirty-four teaspoons of sugar daily.

What does twenty-two teaspoons of sugar add up to? Around three hundred and fifty calories. Or, in food terms, it's like drinking two cans of soda and eating a candy bar... every day.

It can be tricky to wrangle added sugars out of your diet, but the American Heart Association has some tips to help you get started:

• Read labels. Food labels don't distinguish between natural sugars and added sugars, but you can get a good idea of the total from the label.
• Read the ingredients. Look for things like corn syrup, fructose (or any -ose), evaporated cane juice, molasses, or sugar itself. If it's on the ingredient list, that means it's been added in.
• Cut back on (or cut out) soft drinks, one of the top culprits for adding sugar to the diet. Switch to sugar-free if you can, or find something else to drink.
• Watch your intake of cakes, cookies, and pies -- all sugar-laden treats. You don't have to deny yourself entirely, but you also don't have to eat them every day.
• Swap sugary snacks for healthier choices. Fruit might just satisfy your sweet tooth (and get you some healthy fiber, too).
• Control your portions. If you do eat cookies, eat one or two instead of six.
• Beware of low fat foods. If they take out the fat, they often add sugar (or other things you don't want to overdo) to improve flavor.
• If you can't give up the sugar, get up and exercise. Increasing the amount of exercise you do can help counteract the sugar you eat. Adding sugar adds calories, and that can translate into weight gain.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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