By: Rachel Nannola
We know sugar is not the healthiest thing for our bodies. Sugar is okay in moderation, but the 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend that we limit our added sugars to no more than 10% of our daily calorie needs. For example, if you were consuming 2000 calories a day, this would allow for 12 teaspoons (48 grams of sugar). One can of Coca Cola has approximately 40 grams, so that’s almost a day’s worth of sugar.
Sugar is in many more items besides soda and candy. Some items that contain sugar are: cereals, flavored yogurt, instant oatmeal, pasta sauce, fruit juices, condiments, and granola bars. Those are just a few, but there are a ton more.
A high intake of sugar can lead to dental cavities, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions.
When you’re in the grocery store, look at an item’s nutrition label to see how many grams of sugar it has. You can then compare various product labels to choose one with less sugar. You might be surprised that sugar is in more items than you would expect!
As expressed earlier, sugar is okay in moderation, but making easy swaps at the grocery store to products with less added sugar can help reduce your intake.
Source: