American Heart Association release startling sugar statistics

American Heart Association takes aim at sugar in diet and your healthy eating guidelines

August 26, 2009 | No comments | Healthy Eating Guidelines

sugar Americans are swallowing 22 teaspoons of sugar each day according to the American Heart Association.

Most women should be getting no more than 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar which is the sweeteners and syrups that are added to processed foods and foods made at home that call for extra sugar.

The recommended limit for men is 9 teaspoons.

The guidelines do not apply to naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruit, vegetables or dairy products.

Most of the added sugars actually come from candies, soft drinks and processed foods.

Males age 14-18 are consuming around 34 teaspoons of sugar each and every day.

Rachel Johnson a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington says: "Take a good, hard look at your diet". "Figure out where the sources of added sugars are and think about how to cut back on that."

Now don’t get me wrong sugar does play a role in enhancing the taste of food and in some cases is necessary. What you need to watch for though is excessive sugar or products that are primarily sugar with very little fiber or protein.

We all know added sugar leads to weight gain and by just cutting out 1 12oz soft drink or about 140 calories a day can save you over 50,000 calories in a one year time frame.

So instead of gaining the average 10 pounds a year you could be losing 4-5 pounds in a year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an online database for the added sugars in some foods.

USDA Database for the Added Sugars Content of Selected Foods

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

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