Taking the Guesswork out of Daily Sugar

We are all aware of the growing problems of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Eating too much junk food, sugary drinks and lack of physical activity is to blame. But how to tell if you or your child is consuming too much sugar each day, which in the long run adds up to cause these problems?

In this week’s Ask the Expert, Registered Dietitian Dina Lindquist offered several tips on how to “tame your child’s sweet tooth“.  As a parent, it is natural to worry about too much sugar, but exactly how much is too much?

Interestingly, it is not possible to find the answer to this question from the Nutrition Facts label on food packages. How could it be that there is a percentage daily value (%DV) for fats, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, proteins and all kinds of vitamins and minerals, but not for sugar? All you can find for sugar is the amount per serving in grams. Without a total daily amount, it is not possible to assess if that 13 g sugar per serving of Fruit Loops or 22 g in a glass of Orange Juice is “way too much”.

In the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA recommends a maximum of about 8 tsp (~32 grams) of added sugars each day on a 2000 calorie diet. It still does not tell you anything about the total sugars, part of which comes naturally – for example in fruits or juices – and part from added sugar. So it remains a guessing game, and as a concerned parent you find yourself agonizing over a cookie or a piece of candy wondering if you are turning your child into a sugar junkie!

Well, guess no more! After researching several sources, I have put together this estimate which you can use as a guide -

1. No more than 25% of the daily calories should come from total sugars
2. Each gram of sugar is about 4 calories
3. This comes to a daily maximum of 125 g for a 2000 calorie diet. Remember that toddlers need only about 1200 – 1600 calories based on their activity level. So the maximum amount for them is 100 g.
4. Any food item which contains more than 20% of this maximum (about 20 g) in a single serving is definitely a red flag. This is because it is very hard to control the serving size at one time unless each serving is individually packaged.
5. Fruit juices, even without added sugar, should be used in moderation. Try the fruit instead – at least their sugar comes with fiber, vitamins and minerals! Another option is to water the juice down or reduce the quantity.

How do you keep track of how much sugar your child (or you for that matter) is consuming each day?

Photo source: squacco on Flickr
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Tagged as: Childhood Obesity, Healthy Habits, Helpful Tips, Sugar, Sweet Tooth