Why do we care about the amount of added sugar we are consuming? For one, we know that a diet high in added sugar contributes to cavities as well as elevated triglycerides, which can increase our risk for heart disease and diabetes. Food with added sugars are often lacking in healthy amounts of vitamins and minerals. What are some of the biggest sources of added sugar in our diet? The short list would include sodas, fruit juices with added sugars, many children's cereals, baked goods, and coffee/tea with added sweeteners.
The American Heart Association recommends that women consume less than 6 teaspoons of added sugars a day, and men consume less than 9-10 teaspoons of added sugar a day. To give you a visual of this, a typical soda contains 9-10 teaspoons of added sugar. For women, that is going overboard the recommended upper limit. Recent studies have shown that teenagers may get up to 25% of their daily caloric intake from added sugars! Children and teens should aim for less than 5-10% of their daily caloric intake from added sugars.
If you are interested in reducing your added sugar intake, know that you can retrain your taste buds to enjoy a full range of tastes in addition to sweet. Take out the daily sodas and sweetened fruit juices. Instead, eat the whole fruit and drink some sparkling water with added lemon or lime or ginger. Limit the amount of excess sweetener in your coffee and tea and consider stevia or simply a teaspoon or less of sugar as healthier options.
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