We all know sugar is bad for us, right? It is implicated in so many illnesses – from obesity, to type 2 diabetes, to various chronic diseases. But, do you know how much sugar you actually consume?

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You may have given up sugar in your coffee, but here’s a little homework so that you can work out how much you might be consuming over a day. Later I’ll post some strategies on how you can reduce your sugar intake, or tackle sugar cravings.

If you drink soda for example, have a look at the label. A few things to note:

1. The serving size says 100ml, whereas the bottle contains 500ml. As you’d probably knock back the entire bottle in a few gulps – easily – then everything on the label must be multiplied by 5.

The true serving size here is 500ml not 100ml.

2. So here, in 100ml there is 10.6g of sugar.

3. In our ‘normal’ serving, i.e. 500ml, there is therefore 53g of sugar

4. A teaspoon of sugar = 4g

5. So in this single bottle of soda, there are 13+ teaspoons of sugar. I know, madness!. And that’s just an innocent single soda that you might grab when you are thirsty.

LESSON: the label will always understate the serving size to make the figures (sugars, calories, fat…) look good.

NOTE: The food industry has lots and lots of sneaky ways of hiding the truth regarding what’s in our food. I’m going to write a book on this one day

Your homework, and a great one to do with the kids:

a) Gather together sodas, cereals, yogurts, and other food in your kitchen, along with a large empty bowl and a bag of white sugar

b) Pick an item and review its ingredient list for added sugars (hidden under many guises – HFCS, syrup, maltose, dextrose)

c) Consider what portion size you might normally consume

d) 4g = 1 tsp sugar: Calculate how many spoons are in your ‘normal’ serving. (Be honest here!)

e) Spoon that amount of sugar in the bowl

f) Repeat for other products you consume

g) Calculate how many spoons of sugar you might consume in total on a given day

NOTE: The suggested maximum amount of added sugar is listed here – these added sugars come from sodas, juices, cereal, baked goods, and other processed food.

• Men 37.5gms = 9 teaspoons

• Women 24gms = 6 teaspoons

• Young teens 20gms = 5 teaspoons

• 4 – 8 year olds 12gms = 3 teaspoon

So, that innocent little bottle of soda provides way more than your daily allowance of added sugar. Many would argue that these recommendations are too high, and certainly do not make up a healthful diet if followed on a daily basis.

The best way to avoid added sugars is to simply eat wholesome, natural food. More on this to come. In the meantime, check out ‘Healthier Alternatives for Sodas’

Would love to hear your thoughts!

 Would you like to learn more about sugar and understanding nutrition labels?
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^{This article was originally published on Health & Vitality blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author. 
Edited by Michelle Sarthou
Image credit: Shutterstock}

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