If you track your food, you may have noticed that total sugar and added sugar are listed separately. They sound like they should mean the same thing, but they don’t.
Sugar occurs naturally in many nutritious foods. Added sugar is different, and it’s the added sugar that we’re generally encouraged to limit.
So how much added sugar should you eat per day?
What Is Added Sugar?
Added sugars are sugars and sweeteners that are added to foods and drinks during processing, preparation or at the table.
They can include:
- Table sugar
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Dextrose
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Other syrups
- Sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices
You’ll find added sugar in obvious places such as candy, cookies, cakes and soft drinks, but it can also turn up in foods you might not immediately think of as sweet.
Sweetened yogurt, breakfast cereals, granola bars, flavored oatmeal, sauces, salad dressings and coffee drinks can all contribute added sugar to your day.
That’s one reason reading the Nutrition Facts label can be so helpful.
Added Sugar Is Not the Same as Total Sugar
This is an important distinction.
The sugar naturally occurring in foods such as whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk isn’t considered added sugar.
Suppose a container of yogurt contains 15 grams of total sugar, but its Nutrition Facts label says:
Includes 7g Added Sugars
That doesn’t mean the yogurt contains 22 grams of sugar. The 7 grams of added sugar are already included in the 15 grams of total sugar.
The remaining sugar may occur naturally in the milk or other ingredients.
When you’re trying to monitor added sugar, look specifically at the Added Sugars line on the Nutrition Facts label rather than Total Sugars alone.
How Much Added Sugar Should You Eat?
The FDA Daily Value for added sugar is 50 grams per day based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
That represents 10% of a 2,000-calorie diet.
The American Heart Association recommends a lower limit of no more than about 6% of daily calories from added sugar.
For most women, the American Heart Association recommends no more than:
25 grams — about 6 teaspoons — per day
For men, the recommendation is:
36 grams — about 9 teaspoons — per day
These recommendations can look quite different from the 50-gram Daily Value you see on a Nutrition Facts label. That’s because the FDA Daily Value and the American Heart Association recommendation serve somewhat different purposes and use different limits.
The important thing is to understand which number you’re looking at rather than assuming there’s one universal number that applies to everyone.
What Does 10% of Calories Look Like?
Because sugar contains about 4 calories per gram, a 10%-of-calories limit works out approximately like this:
| Daily Calories | 10% From Added Sugar | Approximate Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200 | 120 calories | 30 g |
| 1,400 | 140 calories | 35 g |
| 1,600 | 160 calories | 40 g |
| 1,800 | 180 calories | 45 g |
| 2,000 | 200 calories | 50 g |
You can calculate it yourself with:
Daily calories × .10 ÷ 4 = grams of added sugar
For example:
1,600 calories × .10 = 160 calories
160 ÷ 4 = 40 grams of added sugar
Remember that the American Heart Association’s recommendation is more restrictive than this 10% calculation.
Does Honey Count as Added Sugar?
Yes. Honey counts toward your added-sugar intake.
This can be confusing because honey is a natural food and nobody necessarily “added” sugar to the honey.
But when it comes to added-sugar recommendations, honey contributes to your added-sugar intake. The same is true of pure maple syrup and other single-ingredient sugars and syrups.
That doesn’t mean honey and table sugar are identical foods. It simply means that choosing honey instead of white sugar doesn’t make those grams of sugar disappear from your added-sugar total.
So if you put honey in your tea, drizzle it over oatmeal or add it to a recipe, it’s worth counting.
Natural doesn’t necessarily mean no added sugar.
Where Does Added Sugar Add Up Quickly?
One of the easiest ways to consume a lot of added sugar is through drinks.
Regular soft drinks, sweet tea, energy drinks, sports drinks, flavored coffees and other sweetened beverages can contain a substantial amount of added sugar without making you feel particularly full.
Added sugar can also accumulate from several smaller sources throughout the day.
A little in your breakfast cereal, some in your yogurt, a sweetened drink with lunch, a sauce with dinner and dessert afterward can add up before you realize it.
That’s where tracking can be especially useful.
How Can You Cut Back Without Giving Up Everything Sweet?
You don’t necessarily have to eliminate every food containing added sugar.
Instead, look for the places where you’re getting the most and decide which ones are worth it to you.
You might:
- Choose unsweetened or lower-sugar versions of foods you eat regularly.
- Compare Nutrition Facts labels between similar products.
- Drink water or an unsweetened beverage instead of a sugary drink.
- Sweeten foods yourself so you control the amount.
- Use fruit to add sweetness to cereal, oatmeal or yogurt.
- Reduce the sugar in recipes when it works.
- Save higher-sugar foods for the ones you really enjoy.
Sometimes simply becoming aware of how much added sugar you’re eating makes it easier to decide where you want to make changes.
Use the Nutrition Facts Label
The Nutrition Facts label makes tracking added sugar considerably easier.
The FDA considers 5% Daily Value or less per serving low and 20% Daily Value or more high.
That doesn’t mean you can never eat something that’s high in added sugar. It gives you a quick way to compare foods and see how much one serving contributes to your day.
Also pay attention to serving size. If the label lists 10 grams of added sugar per serving and you eat two servings, you’ve eaten 20 grams.
Don’t Forget the Big Picture
Just as with calories, saturated fat or any other number you’re tracking, one food doesn’t determine whether your entire day was a success.
Added sugar is one part of your overall eating pattern.
Tracking it can help you discover where your added sugar is coming from and decide whether there are changes you’d like to make.
You may discover that one particular drink accounts for most of your added sugar. Or you may find that you’re getting small amounts from foods throughout the day.
Once you know where it’s coming from, you can make informed choices.
You don’t have to eat perfectly.
You just have to know what you’re eating.
This information is for general educational purposes and isn’t intended to replace individualized medical or nutritional advice.