If you’re working out regularly at LIV Fitness in Dublin, CA, it’s pretty obvious you care about your health. I talk to many clients who tell me they also work hard to eat healthy, too. One of the most asked questions is about sugar and what the maximum daily sugar intake should be. In other words, how much is too much sugar? One problem is that today, many foods you might not suspect contain sugar. It’s hidden in everything from ketchup to flavored yogurt.
The recommended amount of sugar each day is about 50 grams.
The recommended amount of sugar daily is based on your total caloric intake. It should be no more than 10% of your total caloric intake. How do you convert that into grams to see how much you really eat? Each gram of sugar is about 4 calories, so identify your caloric intake and divide it by 4. That’s approximately 50 grams. Another simple rule is to take that number and divide it again by 4 to identify how many teaspoons that would be each day. In this case, it’s approximately 12 teaspoons.
Finding out how many grams you eat daily.
If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, simply count the teaspoons of sugar you use and multiply by four, remembering that every four grams is one teaspoon. Read labels to see how much sugar each product contains and add that. A medium-sized glazed doughnut has about 14 grams of sugar. Low fat fruit yogurt has 46.7 grams of sugar. A tablespoon of ketchup has 1.8 grams of glucose, 1.4 grams of fructose and 0.3 grams of maltose, for a total of 3.5 grams of sugar. Be aware that there are many different types of sugar, as noted by the fructose, maltose and glucose, but they all are sugar and all have the same effect on your body.
What is the effect too much sugar has on your body?
Too much sugar can affect your body’s microbiome. It can increase the number of harmful bacteria and yeast in the body, which affects your immune system, mood and many other functions. If you’ve consumed sugar for a long time and give it up completely, you’ll feel withdrawal symptoms that range from a headache or crankiness to flu-like symptoms.
- Too much sugar can slow your metabolism and increase cortisol. It can increase blood pressure, your risk of heart disease, dental carries, acne, type 2 diabetes, cancer, premature aging and depression to name a few problems.
- Natural sugar in fruit and vegetables doesn’t have the same effect as added sugar, since the fiber in the sugar slows the absorption so you don’t get the sudden rise and just as sudden drop.
- Switching to water as your drink of choice can reduce the amount of sugar intake significantly. Studies show that beverages are responsible for 47% of all added sugar, with soft drinks being 25%, fruit drinks 11%, coffee or tea with 7% and energy or sports drinks at 3%.
- It doesn’t matter whether the sugar is “natural” or not. Sugar is sugar whether it’s maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup or cane sugar.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness