Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

SUGAR: FOOD SOURCES, HEALTH IMPLICATIONS, AND LABEL-READING 229
can use it to make nutrient-dense food tastier. For example, you can drizzle honey into plain
yogurt or sprinkle some brown sugar on roasted winter squash. You get far more nutritional
“bang for your buck” using added sugars in this way than consuming them in something like
a soda. (And of course, there’s also room in a balanced diet for occasional treats!)
HOW MUCH ADDED SUGAR ARE WE EATING?
On average, Americans consume 22 to 30 teaspoons of added sugar daily, up to 17% of
calories, well in excess of the recommendation to limit added sugar intake to 10% of
calories or less. This is shown in the image below from the Dietary Guidelines.
Figure 4.32. Average intakes of added sugars as a percent of calories per day by age-sex group,
in comparison to the Dietary Guidelines’ maximum limit of less than 10 percent of calories.
Where are all of these added sugars coming from? Nearly half of them come from soda,
juices, and other sugary drinks, as illustrated below. Therefore, the Dietary Guidelines
recommend that people drink more water and less sugary drinks.