Thursday, March 19, 2009

How much added sugar should we eat?

The recommendation for added sugar, not naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices is below 10% of calories. So if you eat 1600 calories a day, 160 calories from sugar equals about 40 grams a day.
We, in the United States lead the world in obesity and the government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise only that sugar should be used in moderation. The Institute of Medicine, part of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, recommended in September that sugar could make up to 25% of calories.
But the newest study recommends 10%. The report was commissioned by two U.N. agencies, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, and compiled by a panel of 30 international experts. The food industry was quick to respond decrying the document, insisting more exercise is the key to ending obesity.
Yet sugar, despite its sweet taste offers no nutritional value except calories and Americans get plenty of these. Cutting sugar is an easy way to cut calories. So, try counting your sugar grams to determine how much you eat. It will be, if nothing else, very informative.

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