The Hunt for Hidden Sugar
Ready for a little experiment? Grab that jar of sugar, a measuring spoon, a plate and a can of regular soda. Then, dump one teaspoon of sugar onto the plate. Repeat this nine more times. Do you know what you have, besides a mess? The amount of sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda! Just look at that mound!

Now locate the sugar listing on the soda's nutrition label—40 grams. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Do the math. That innocent can of pop contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and 160 empty calories.

Even if you don’t drink regular soda, the typical American now eats the equivalent of about 17 teaspoons (68 grams) of added sugars every day. That sugar alone adds up to 270 extra calories—more than 13% of the average person's caloric intake. 
 

Less is More


So how much should you be limiting these added sugars? Several health organizations, such as the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association have established guidelines regarding the intake of added sugars. A healthy eating pattern should limit added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories per day.  This does not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose). The chart below lists this maximum recommended daily sugar intake based on various calorie levels.
 
Maximum Sugar Intake
(10% of Calorie Intake)
 

Daily Calorie
Intake
Calorie Limit
from
Added Sugars
 
Grams
of
Added Sugars
Teaspoons
of
Added Sugars

1,200		 120 30 7.5

1,500		 150 37.5 9.0

1,800		 180 45 11

2,100		 210 52.5 13

2,400		 240 60 15

2,700		 270 67.5 17
 

Deciphering Labels


It can be confusing to try to find out how much added sugar a food contains. The sugar listing on a Nutrition Facts label lumps all sugars together, including naturally-occurring milk and fruit sugars, which can be deceiving. This explains why, according to the label, one cup of milk has 11 grams of sugar even though it doesn't contain any sugar "added" to it.

To determine how much sugar has been added to a food product, follow these two tips:
  • Read the ingredients list. Learn to identify terms that mean added sugars, including sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, honey, invert sugar, maple syrup, raw sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, corn sweeteners, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, malt, molasses, and turbinado sugar, to name a few.
  • Refer to the chart below for approximate amounts of hidden sugar in foods.Check package nutrition facts label and ingredient list for greater accuracy on specific brands.

Hidden Sugars in Foods

 
Food Serving Size Added Sugar
Teaspoons 		 Added Sugar
Grams 
                      Beverages  
Cranberry Juice Cocktail 1 cup 7 ½ tsp 30 g
Lemonade 1 cup 7 tsp 28 g
Soda Pop 12 ounce can 10 tsp 40 g
Sports Drink 20 ounce bottle 8 ½ tsp 34 g
Sweet Tea 1 cup 5 ½ tsp 22 g
Breakfast Foods
Breakfast Toaster Pastry 1 pastry 4 - 4 ½ tsp 16 – 18 g
Cereal Fruit Bar 1 bar 2 ½ - 3 tsp 10 - 12 g
Chocolate Puffed Cereal 1 cup 3 ½ tsp 14 g
Coffee cake 4 oz piece 5 tsp 20 g
Frosted Shredded Wheat Cereal 1 cup 3 tsp 12 g
Fruit Ring Cereal 1 cup 3 tsp 12 g
Glazed Doughnut 1 doughnut 4 tsp 16 g
Granola Bar 1 bar 2 tsp 8 g
Honey Coated Cereal 1 cup 3 tsp 12 g
Instant Sweetened Oatmeal 1 packet 3 tsp 12 g
                    Desserts  
Angel Food Cake 4 oz piece 7 tsp 28 g
Banana Cake 4 oz piece 2 tsp 8 g
Brownie, no icing 1 oz piece 4 tsp 16 g
Cheesecake 4 oz piece 2 tsp 8 g
Chocolate Cake, iced 4 oz piece 10 tsp 40 g
Chocolate Chip Cookie 1 cookie 2 tsp 8 g
Cupcake, iced 4 oz piece 6 tsp 24 g
Fig Newton Cookies 2 cookies 2 tsp 8 g
Gingersnaps 1 cookie 3 tsp 12 g
Oatmeal Cookie 1 cookie 2 tsp 8 g
Vanilla Pudding ½ cup 5 tsp 20 g
                     Candies  
Chocolate Candy Bar 1 bar 4 ½ tsp 18 g
Chocolate Mint 1 piece 2 tsp 8 g
  Condiments and Sauces
BBQ Sauce 2 tablespoons 3 tsp 12 g
Jam and Jelly 1 tablespoon 2 ½ - 3 tsp 10 – 12 g
Ketchup 2 tablespoons 2 tsp 8 g
Pasta or Spaghetti Sauce ½ cup 2-3 tsp 8-12 g
Salad Dressing 2 tablespoons ½ - 1 tsp  2-4 g
Other Foods
Bread, Whole Grain 1 slice 1 tsp 4 g
Crackers, Whole Grain 16 small crackers 1 tsp 4 g
Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons ¾ tsp 3 g
Tomato Soup 1 cup 3 tsp 12 g
Vanilla Yogurt 8 ounces 3 tsp 12 g

There is room to include a small amount of added sugars in your eating plan to improve the palatability and flavor of nutrient-rich foods—a sprinkle of brown sugar on your morning oatmeal or a dribble of honey in tart plain yogurt. However, the main sources of added sugars like sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and snacks, need to be limited. These type foods provide little nutritional value to one’s diet but may be adding a substantial amount of unwanted calories.

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