Friday, August 28, 2009

How much sugar do you take in a day?

Have you ever given a thought to how many teaspoons of sugar you consume in a day?
This would mean all the sugar that you added in your tea,coffee,porridge and also that which was already present in the cakes,desserts,soft drinks, cookies and not to forget the ice creams that you had today!
The count could easily go upto 20-25 teaspoons (yes,just think of it: a can of cola has around 10 teaspoons of sugar in it). In other words,the amount of sugar you eat in a day would probably provide the calories equivalent to one meal for some!!
Till now there were no solid guidelines as far as sugar consumption was concerned,but now the American Heart Association has put out guidelines for sugar consumption for men and women. According to them a women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar and for men it should not be more than 9 teaspoons per day.
Sugar by itself does not increase the risk of heart disease,it is known to increase the risk factors like high levels of triglycerides, obesity and diabetes among others.
Although the number of teaspoons mentioned is just a rough estimate, you could calculate the amount required for each individual by using the USDA's website (this can also be used by parents who are interested in calculating the sugar allowance for their kids).
For those interested in learning more,check out:
Question: How many teaspoons of sugar did you take today?

19 comments:

chow and chatter said...

oh on my grapefruit then a couple of sugar cookies great thought provoking post,

love Rebecca

kittymatti said...

haha,, interesting!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Thats really so informative sweta.. thanks for sharing

Gina; The Candid RD said...

I saw that the other day, and am posting about it soon. Can you believe that? Thanks for reminding my about MyPyramid's extra calories. How would you explain the fact that I get 195 extra calories in fat and sugar? Would that mean half of that should be fat and the other sugar? I wish they would divide that up, it would make much more sense.

I probably get about 5 tsp-6 tsp (2 pieces of chocolate, 1/2 cup of ice cream). But on days that I go over board (weddings!!) I get close to 12-15 tsp (these are rare though).

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

I am always at a loss wit any outside food - everything has sugar or corn syrup...

Angie's Recipes said...

I am not sure about how much I take daily now, but for sure more than before.....years ago, I was so conscious that I refused any food contained sugar.

Angie's Recipes

lisaiscooking said...

I saw this news story too. So interesting. I avoid soft drinks, so at least I'm consuming sugar from that source!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Regarding the vitamin D and diabetes, I'm wondering if diabetes is becoming prevalent in India because more and more people and becoming overweight. If that is the case, I don't think Vitamin D is going to necessarily prevent it, maybe just decrease one's chances of getting it? I haven't looked into that, but you made a good point.
As for the Trader Joe's dish, I went ahead and wrote it on my list! I usually don't buy frozen meals because they are expensive, but every once in a while I splurge, and I'd love to try this! Thanks for the recommendation.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to count the teaspoons of my sugar intake tomorrow. I don't add any sugar to tea or coffee at least, so hopefully that'll help to keep the numbers low.

Anonymous said...

Sweta- it is so good to see you back blogging!

I read that article too- I'm trying to think what sugar I've had today- I had half a brownie, and a Gatorade...(I almost forgot about that) - that's the secret - it sneaks up on you!!

theUngourmet said...

I don't normally have much of a sweet tooth. Salt is more my weakness. Today though I was feeling quite frustrated and I ate a Twix candy bar! I thought somehow it might help put things right. ;0(

Gita Jaishankar said...

Wow do we consume so much sugar each day :( I started using Splenda in my tea recently...have to reduce sugar in other sources too :)

The Fat Dietitian said...

I definitely consume more sugar/artificial sweetener than I should... I oscillate between eating super healthy, and then slip up. Diet Coke will forever be my downfall.

BTW I love your header, so colorful and nutrition apprpriate! :)

Indian Khana said...

Nice post..interesting read...

Juliana said...

It is hard to tell, since I do not add sugar to my coffee...thanks for the info :-)

Diana H said...

I probably take in too much, and think, when I get old I'll watch it, but I think I'm aging, so I better be more careful.

Anonymous said...

I take in a LOT of sugar through fruits, and the occasional dessert, but otherwise I have a hate-relationship with sugar. The table sugar makes me drowsy and lethargic!

Recipeswap said...

what a good read.I know we consume so much sugar even when we think we are not.Just 6 for women.......I'm sometimes way off.

Anonymous said...

I have some awards for u at my blog. pick them up.

http://munchcrunchandsuch.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/pea-pesto-crostini-a-bunch-of-awards/