How much sugar we eat actually

If you ask the average person how much sugar per day he/she consumes, what would be the answer?

Sugar is one of the integral components of almost all foods, especially “artificial” (corn flakes, muesli, etc.) and are intended for long storage. According to the classification it is divided into so-called “free sugars” (eng. free sugars) that are contained in natural foods (fruits and vegetables, honey, juices), and “added sugars” (eng. added sugars) — monosaccharides and disaccharides, added to food and drinks manufacturers, as well as regular sugar and syrups that are added to food in the cooking process.

How much sugar to use?

According to Russian statistics, in 2015 the figure of daily consumption of sugar per capita was 107 grams (about 39 kilograms per year). In the same year, the world health organization released an updated report on the consumption of sugar by children and adults, in which he proposed two recommendations to limit their daily amount in the diet. Hard recommendation — limit sugar to no more than 10% of the total daily calories. Optional recommendation — no more than 5%. The American heart Association (American Heart Association) recommends that the men be confined to 38 grams of added sugar per day (9 teaspoons), women — 25 grams (6 teaspoons), which is closer to the 5% who recommendations. Children are encouraged to eat no more than 12-25 grams daily.

Why is it necessary to limit the amount of sugar?

According to the Harvard medical school, drinking large amounts of sugar in the long term can lead to risk of heart disease. A number of other studies have also shown that large amounts of sugar in the diet leads to metabolic syndrome (failure of the metabolism) — and, consequently, weight gain, dental caries, disorders of secretion and absorption of insulin and, consequently, to diabetes.

In addition, products with high sugar content include the so-called “empty” calories — calories which has no useful for our body nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. At the same time, they are quite capable to give the body a feeling of fullness — which may gradually lead to the displacement of healthful foods from the human diet.

How to limit sugar in the diet?

If possible, avoid high-calorie foods (sweet, flour, fat). The emphasis is more useful to do on fruits and vegetables as well as natural products like dried fruits, honey, nuts, olive oil etc.;

Pay attention to your food habits, in particular, “seize” if you stress or are they inclined to eat when not hungry. If to these questions you answered “Yes”, try to move to intuitive eating. There are many sites to help you calculate the required daily amount of calories and energy value of food;

Do not drink sweetened drinks like Coca-Cola, go for water, juice — particularly natural, and other unsweetened liquids;

Highlight the meal time, eat on the go, in front of the TV or computer;

Do not use artificial sweeteners.

Want to make more radical cleansing of the body from sugar can spend a certain amount of time — from five days to one month — completely remove added sugars from your diet (particularly stubborn can be removed, and natural sweeteners like syrups and honey). People who shared this experience, saying that later pretty well at least to reduce the regular consumption of sugar. Don’t forget that we are talking only about added sugars! The small amount of sugar, which contain almost all the usual foods your body needs.

At the same time, it is necessary to remember that manufacturers rarely write on the labels the actual word “sugar”. To identify it at the end, “oz”, adopted in chemical nomenclature of sugars. Here are just some of the names that can mask the presence of sugar in foods: agave; galactose; glucose; evaporated cane juice; malt syrup; brown sugar; fructose; maple syrup; sugarcane crystals; fruit juice concentrates; molasses; corn sweetener; sucrose; corn syrup; syrup; crystalline fructose; invert sugar; dextrose; maltose.

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