According to the American Heart Association, Americans are consuming 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, much to the detriment of our hearts’ health.
Too much sugar may increase your risk of coronary heart disease, and the American Heart Association is pushing for specific dietary guidelines when it comes to sugar consumption instead of the “use in moderation” stance of the past.
If 22 teaspoons doesn’t sound like a lot to you, take a look at these numbers:
According to the American Heart Association, women should be getting no more than 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar and men should not exceed 9 teaspoons. These numbers do not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruit, veggies and dairy products.
Not surprisingly, the Association sites soda and candy as the top sugar contributors, along with other sweets like cookies, cakes, and pies. Also not surprising is that American teens were found to consume a whopping 32 teaspoons of sugar, much of which is attributed to out of control soft drink consumption.
Of course we should be trying to avoid eating these types of foods anyway, due to their high fat and calorie content and lack of nutritional value, but the obvious sweet treats aren’t the only place added sugars can be lurking.
Even if you make an effort to eat healthy, check your labels. If you look at your favorite foods, chances are you are consuming more sugar than you thought. Products like crackers, salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, ketchup, fruit juices, syrups, like those added to smoothies and flavored coffees, and breads are all notorious added sugar carriers.
Not sure what you are looking for? To check for added sugar, read the ingredient list. If you see the words sugar, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose or evaporated cane juice, you know there is added sugar in your food.
