Many people are consuming more sugar each day in foods and drinks then they realize. Added sugars contribute zero daily nutrient needs to our daily diet. A few things that most of us consume that have sugars include: regular soft drinks, sugars, candy, cookies, cakes, pies, fruit drinks, dairy desserts and sweetened milk. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they’re processed or prepared. These added calories can lead to extra pounds and have been cited to contribute to obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But the added sugar Americans consume as part of their daily diet can more than double the risk of death from heart disease, a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.
4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon
How much sugar is just right for you? The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons. The AHA recommendations focus on all added sugars, without singling out any particular types such as high-fructose corn syrup. For more detailed information and guidance on sugar intake limits, see the scientific statement in the August 2009 issue of Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association. According to the study, most U.S. adults consume about 22 teaspoons of added sugars a day.
For more tips on healthy eating, cooking and recipes: Simple Cooking with Heart www.heart.org/simplecooking
Resources:
Journal of the American Heart: Circulation, August 2009. http://circ.ahajournal
Writer Marie Economos, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension, Trumbull County, Western Reserve EERA
Reviewer: Liz Smith, SNAP- Ed Program Specialist, Ohio State University Extension.
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