How much sugar is your family really eating?

I talked a little bit about sugar last week.  Did you ever wonder how much sugar your family is actually consuming?

You might not want to know!  

The American Heart Association stated that adults consumed about 22.2 teaspoons a day (335 calories)* 

More estimates from the American Heart Association Scientific Statement about added sugar*:

•  kids:  13.6 teaspoons of added sugar (217 calories)
• moms:  20.4 teaspoons of added sugar  (326.4 calories)
• dads:  30.6 teaspoons of added sugar  (489.6 calories)

Everything is relative so the next question might be: How much sugar is an acceptable amount?  

According to the American Heart Association*, added sugar should only make up about 5% of a person's total diet.  This means your family should only be consuming about:

• kids:  4 teaspoons of added sugar  (64 calories)
• moms:  6 teaspoons of added sugar (96 calories)
• dads:  9 teaspoons of added sugar (144 calories)

This could be tough if you go to the grocery store and read food labels.  You might be surprised that about 77% of all foods sold have added sugar*.

The foods that contribute most to added sugar are*:

• regular soft drinks
• sugar and candy
• cakes
• cookies
• pies
• fruit drinks
• sweetened milk and milk products
• sweetened grains like sugary cereals, cinnamon toast and honey nut waffles

Nourish Thought for the Day:  

If you are having a sweet craving, satisfy it with naturally sweet foods like strawberries, peaches or a handful of raisins.