I have decided to start sharing some of the lessons I have been teaching to my students at Mt. Diablo. I have learned so much being in the classroom and my goal is to see this taught at EVERY high school in America. I have gone so far as to challenge my seniors to limit their sugar to just 3 tsp a day! Though it has been difficult, many have come to me and expressed how much better they feel when they aren’t “under the influence of sugar”.
Today’s topic is “How Much is Too Much Added Sugar?”
Overview: When almost 80% of the food on supermarket shelves contains “added sugar” it is no wonder we are WAY overdoing our sugar intake! And it’s killing us!
Learning Goal: To become aware of how much “added sugar” you are consuming vs what is recommended to stay healthy.
- Look for “added sugar” on the ingredient list (there are 56 names, see chart below)
- Check the Nutrition Facts to find out how many GRAMS of sugar
- 4 grams ~ 1 tsp of sugar
- Check the serving size, especially on beverages!
Use the recommendations below as a guide to help you lower your sugar intake!
|American Heart Association Added Sugar Recommended Limits|
|Under 2 years||1 tsp (4g)|
|Ages 2-12||4 tsp (16g)|
|Women over 12||6 tsp (24g)|
|Men over 12||9 tsp (36g)|
The 56 Names for Sugar
|Agave nectar||Carob syrup||Diastatic malt||Icing sugar||Refiner’s syrup|
|Barbados sugar||Castor sugar||Diatase||Invert sugar||Rice syrup|
|Barley malt||Confectioner’s sugar||Ethyl malitol||Lactose||Sorghum syrup|
|Beet sugar||Corn syrup||Evaporated cane juice||Malt syrup||Sucrose|
|Blackstrap molasses||Corn syrup solids||Glucose||Maltose||Sugar|
|Brown rice syrup||Crystalline fructose||Glucose solids||Maple syrup||Treacle|
|Brown sugar||Date sugar||Golden sugar||Molasses||Turbinado sugar|
|Buttered syrup||Demerara sugar||Golden syrup||Muscovado sugar||Yellow sugar|
|Cane juice crystals||Dextran||Grape sugar||Organic raw sugar|
|Cane sugar||The Many Names for Sugar||High-fructose corn syrup||Panocha|
Read the label on all processed/packaged food!