Sugar fuels every cell in the brain, and is digested very quickly. Your brain sees sugar as a reward, causing it to continuously crave more of it. If you eat sugar frequently, you’re reinforcing that reward, making it difficult to break the habit.
What is the maximum amount of added sugar we should have each day?
Added sugar is: white or brown, corn syrup, molasses, syrup, and even honey.
For an adult male: 9 teaspoons or 36 grams per day of added sugar.
For an adult female: 6 teaspoons or 24 grams per day of added sugar.
For children: Only 3 teaspoons or 12 grams of added sugar per day.
How do you compare?
– 12 oz can of soda = 11 tsp or 132 gm
– 1 cup of chocolate puff cereal = 56 gm of sugar
– 1 donut = 74 gm
– 1 small cup of sweetened applesauce = 22 gm
– 1 small cup of diced peaches in syrup =18 gm
– 1 pudding snack = 17 gm
– 1 Pop-Tart = 19 gm
– 1 chocolate chip muffin = 32 gm
– 8 oz lemonade = 29 gm
– 16 oz ice tea = 48 gm
– 1 chewy granola bar = 12gm
The good news
The addiction can be broken. We can train our palates and taste buds to enjoy less sweet, more savory foods. All we need is the motivation to try. Start slowly, by setting a few attainable goals every few weeks. Cutting down the amount of sugar you eat, will help you look forward to a healthier future!
