Approximately 350 calories of the average American’s daily intake come from added sugars, an amount that’s more than double and triple the recommended daily limit for most men and women, respectively, according to the American Heart Association. While naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in milk and fruit, contribute to your overall sugar intake, they don’t qualify as added sugars. To get an idea of the amount of added sugar you consume in a day, differentiate between the natural and added sugars in your diet and understand how different units of measurement translate to overall calories.
One tablespoon of standard sucrose, or table sugar, contains approximately 48 calories and about 12 grams of sugar. The intake guidelines set forth by the American Heart Association measure daily sugar consumption by the teaspoon and total calories, however, so it’s beneficial to know that a teaspoon of sugar provides about 16 calories and 4 grams of sugar. Brown sugar has about the same amount of calories and grams of sugar, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup contains about 51 calories and just over 12 grams of sugar, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup has approximately 57 calories and 13 grams of sugar and 1 tablespoon of honey provides about 63 calories and 13.5 grams of sugar. Knowing how many calories and grams of refined sugar are in a specific unit of measurement, whether it’s a teaspoon or a tablespoon, generally allows you to calculate the number of calories in foods with added sugar.
Sugar and Digestion
Sugars, starches and fiber are each a form of carbohydrate. Your body’s preferred sources of energy are sugars and starches because they’re digested and absorbed relatively quickly. Sugars are either monosaccharides or disaccharides, meaning they’re comprised of one or two sugar units. Fructose, glucose and galactose are monosaccharides, while sucrose, lactose and maltose are disaccharides. Lactose, for example, is created when glucose joins with galactose. Starches are polysaccharides, meaning they’re made up of many sugar units. Your body can’t absorb and use the energy provided by sugars and starches without breaking them down into their simplest units, or monosaccharides. At the digestive level, your body doesn’t differentiate the food sources of these simple sugars.
Natural Vs. Added Sugar
Natural sugars are those that occur naturally in food. Milk naturally contains lactose, for example, while most fruits contain fructose. Added sugars are incorporated into a food or food product during its preparation or processing. Although sucrose is commonly known as table sugar, added sugars take many different forms, each with its own name. On a food product’s label, ingredients that end in “-ose,” such as sucrose, dextrose or maltose, denote sugar. The names of other common forms of added sugar include corn sweetener, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, brown sugar, raw sugar, molasses and fruit juice concentrates. While these sugars and syrups are typically refined, raw, unprocessed honey is also considered an added sugar.
Recommended Intake Limit
The American Heart Association recommends that most men and women limit their intake of added sugars to no more than 150 calories for men and no more than 100 calories for women. These amounts can be easily reached or surpassed by consuming a single 8-ounce serving of low-fat, vanilla yogurt, which contains 31.33 grams of sugar, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Because 1 tablespoon of sugar provides 12 grams of sugar, the yogurt contains about 2.6 tablespoons, or just over 125 calories, worth of added sugar. All sugars, whether naturally occurring or added through processing, contribute calories without providing nutrients. Naturally occurring sugars, however, are usually accompanied by other important nutrients. Consequently, the 16.63 grams, or nearly 67 calories, of sugar found in a medium banana don’t contribute to your added sugar intake.
Articles For Your Diet
- American Heart Association: Frequently Asked Question About Sugar
- MayoClinic.com: Added Sugars: Don’t Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners
- The Reluctant Gourmet.com: Cooking Conversion Calculator
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Yogurt, Vanilla, Low Fat, 11 Grams Protein Per 8 Ounce
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Bananas, Raw
- American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide; Roberta Larson Duyff, M.S., R.D.
- Sugar On Spoon image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com