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What Is The Safe Amount Of Sugar You Can Consume Each Day?

The regular consumption of added sugar in excess is associated with various diseases that can be easily prevented – it gives calories, no extra nutrients and damages the metabolism in the long run. How can you differentiate between added sugars and natural sugars? Natural sugars are the sugars found in fruits and vegetables – these contain water, fiber, and a variety of micronutrients, but that's not the same for added sugars.

By Cookist
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Added sugar is the main component of candy and is abundant in many processed foods such as soft drinks and baked goods. The most commonly added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup. To optimize your health, do your best to avoid sugary foods. Even American dietary guidelines recommend limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10 percent of total daily calories.

Overdose of sugar is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, tooth decay, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. So you must be wondering, how much of it is too much? Is it safe to eat a small amount of sugar every day, or should I avoid it as much as possible?

What is the safe amount of sugar to consume per day?

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Sadly, this is a rather complex question to answer. While some individuals can eat lots of sugar without any harm coming to them, others are to avoid it as much as possible. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:

  • Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or six teaspoons)
  • Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or nine teaspoons)

An overview of this is that a 12-ounce cola can contain 140 calories from sugar, while a regular Snickers bar contains 120 calories. In contrast, US dietary guidelines advise limiting intake to less than 10% of daily caloric intake.

For those who consume 2,000 calories a day, this is equivalent to 50 grams of sugar, or 12.5 teaspoons (10). If you are healthy and active, these are reasonable recommendations as these small amounts of sugar can burn out without harm. However, it is essential to note that you do not need to add sugar to your diet.

Sugar is not as addictive as illegal drugs, so if you have sugar addiction it should be relatively easy to overcome. However, if you have a history of bulimia nervosa (severe eating disorder), broken eating habits (such as cheat meals or cheat day) and repeatedly fail with a "moderate" approach when it comes to eating sugar; you can become addicted. Just as smokers have to avoid tobacco altogether, sugar addicts may need to avoid sugar altogether.

How do you reduce sugars in your diet?

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Limit intake in descending order of importance:

  1. Soft drinks: A 35cl can of soda contains up to 8 teaspoons of sugar.
  2. Fruit Juice: Fruit juice contains as much sugar as soft drinks. Instead, choose whole or canned fruits without added sweeteners.
  3. Candies and Sweets: Try to reduce the consumption of sweets.
  4. Baked goods: For example, Biscuits, cakes, tarts, etc. They are usually very high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
  5. Low-fat or diet foods: Non-fat foods are often high in sugar and should be taken in moderation.

Drinking water instead of soda or juice and cutting sugar from coffee or tea will be a big plus for your health. Instead of sugar, you can also use lemons such as cinnamon, nutmeg, almond essence, vanilla, and ginger in your recipe. Even if you remove all sugar from your diet, you can still eat endlessly great foods.

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