How Much Sugar Do You Consume?

The average person consumes 19.5 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s about 66 pounds of added sugar every year for every American.❶ It’s easy to put away too much sugar. A cup of low-fat yogurt can contain almost 12 teaspoons of sugar. Just one generous helping of barbeque sauce can give you more than 3 teaspoons of sugar. A serving of granola may have more than 6 teaspoons of sugar. A large flavored coffee from popular chains may be loaded with up to 25 teaspoons of sugar. A cup of baked beans may contain 5 teaspoons of sugar.❷ The American Heart Association recommends that: Men should have no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar a day❸ Women should have no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day.❸

Start by putting it into perspective. When you read a label on a food product in the grocery store, it will measure sugar in grams. A teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams. If a label says a product has 20 grams of sugar, it contains 5 teaspoons of sugar. Other ingredients, such as rice syrup, are also sugars. Eat too much sugar and you increase your risk for being overweight. That increases your risk for diabetes. Sugar is also linked to increased risk for high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and chronic inflammation of your arteries. These conditions make you more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.❺

Here is a new option with SOLA products Switch to SOLA granola, yogurts, snack bars, bread, and more. Our products are made from sweeteners found in nature and do not cause glucose spikes or large spikes in insulin release. SOLA sweetener bakes, measures, and caramelizes just like sugar, and you can use SOLA in your own recipes and enjoy the sweet taste—without the sugar. To help your patients stay on track, SOLA has launched a line of products that people typically eat every day. These products include yogurt, granola, bread, and snack bars. SOLA also has a delicious ice cream with no added sugar!

1. University of California, San Francisco. How Much is Too Much? Available at: http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu. Accessed January 29, 2018.
2. West H. 18 Foods and drinks that are surprisingly high in sugar. Healthline. July 18, 2016.
3. Ervin RB, Kit BK, Carroll MD, Ogden C.L. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). NCHS Data Brief No. 87: Consumption of added sugar among U.S. children and adolescents, 2005–2008. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/. Accessed January 29, 2018.
4. By any other name its still sweetener. The American Heart Association. Updated April 21, 2017.
5. Harvard Heart Letter. Abundance of fructose not good for the liver, heart. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/. Accessed February 9, 2018.