Right now the average American consumes about three times the recommended daily limit.
Sugar is a major criminal these days. It tastes great but like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it’s deceiving. Over consumption of sweets is contributing to rising obesity rates in the U.S as well as the spread of diabetes and heart disease. According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, most Americans consume about 3 pounds or six cups of sugar each week. It all adds up to 152 pound of the stuff each year- a sticky situation.
But should you avoid sugar altogether?
Steering clear of all of it is hard. Sugar is added to so many of our processed foods that it can be time consuming to trace.
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Bread, spaghetti sauce and “regular food” can surprisingly contain it.
Statistics show that on average, we consume about 77 grams of sugar each day. (About 19 teaspoons). The goal is to get this down. Cutting down on soda, baked goods, processed foods and desserts is a start. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume just 6 teaspoons of sugar daily (25 grams) and men keep to 9 teaspoons, or about 37 grams. If you drink one can of Coke a day, you’ve just about covered you’re daily limit already.
Remember, sugar can be highly addictive, so for success in cutting back, set short and long term goals. For tips on trying it, click here.
