Sugar In The Morning

Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at supper time. Did you know sugar hides in hundreds of every day foods?

22 Teaspoons = 350 Calories

There is so much sugar added to foods that the average American adult eats about 22 teaspoons of sugar every single day. Which means, we eat about 3 pounds of sugar a week, or 150 pounds every year. About 18% of our total calories are from sugar alone.

Where Does It Hide?

So where does the sugar in our diet come from? Some sugar naturally occur in foods, like lactose (milk sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar). Oranges, apples, pears, bananas, grapes and all fruits contain the natural sugar, fructose.

Other sugar in our diet is simply 'added sugar'. Added sugar is just what it sounds like. Any food that is prepared or processed to eat where sugar is added, is 'added sugar'. Some of these sugars include granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, or syrups like corn syrup.

Consider this; an apple has natural sugar (fructose) about 15 grams, but turning that apple into apple sauce and you've just added another 15 grams of sugar per serving. Added sugars like jams, jellies, table sugar, or syrups are pretty obvious, but some aren't quite so apparent. Think about ketchup, where 80% of the calories are from added sugar; or pasta sauce with about 5 teaspoons of added sugar per serving.

Empty Calories

The concern about sugar intake from added sugars has mostly to do with the fact that they are considered to be “empty calories”–that is, sugar provides calories but no vitamins or minerals. So, if you consume a lot of sugary foods instead of healthier items, you are shortchanging yourself by not getting enough of the vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy phyto-nutrients that carbohydrate-rich natural foods contain.

The other issue is that many foods that are high in added sugars are also high in fats and calories, like cakes, pastries, ice cream and candy bars are just some of the sweet foods we eat that are loaded down with sugar, fat and calories.

Does It Matter?

So what about the sugar in fruits and vegetables? An average orange has about 12 grams of sugar, or about 3 teaspoons. But here's the difference. An orange, like other fruits have 'natural' sugars (fructose) BUT they also contain water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and phyto-nutrients. All these nutrients have wide-ranging beneficial effects on the body.

All plant foods are predominately carbohydrate having natural sugars as well as structural elements like cellulose which provides the fiber your body needs.

Did You Know?

The average American consumes 53 gallons of sugary soft drinks every year
.Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves can add sweet flavors to cereals or yogurt in place of sugar.
A cup of strawberries has about 7 grams of natural sugar, but it also has 3 grams of fiber, a full day's worth of vitamin C, healthy antioxidants, plus some folic acid and potassium.
A 20-ounce can of cola has about 225 calories, 60 grams of sugar (1/3 cup), artificial flavor and carbonated water.
Fruit juice contains just as much sugar and calories as sugary soft drinks.
In the United States, 80% of foods have sugar added to them
Sugar is one of the world's oldest ingredients. In the 16th century, a teaspoon of sugar cost the equivalent of $5.00 in London.
The only taste humans are born craving is sugar.
Foods rich in fiber, fat and protein help make a person feel full, sugar does not create feelings of satiety.
A 23 oz. bottle of Arizona Green Tea has about 51 grams of sugar, which is about the same as eating 20 Hershey's kisses.
Two hundred years ago, the average American ate only 2 pounds of sugar a year.
In 1970, Americans ate 123 pounds of sugar per year. Today the average American consumes almost 152 pounds of sugar in one year.
According to brain scans, sugar is as addictive as cocaine.
Researchers found that people who drink 2.5 cans of sugary soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious than those who drink less.
Sugar has been shown to cause wrinkles via glycation, which happens when excess blood sugar binds to collagen in the skin and makes it less elastic.