How many grams of sugar should you consume per day?

It is a fact that nowadays added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. Almost every processed food we consume, contains some amount of added sugar in order to taste better and increase sales for companies.

Why is sugar bad?

Sugars provide the body with energy but with no nutrient value whatsoever. This means that all those foods that contain added sugars (chocolates, biscuits, sweets etc.) tend to be fairly calorie-rich, but simultaneously nutrient-poor. It's not that the sugar calories are more fattening than any other calories, but since those foods are really tasty, this makes it way easier to consume excessive amount of calories without even realizing it.

Eating too much sugar is linked to weight gain (mostly fat) and various diseases like obesity, type II diabetes and heart disease. There has also been research which shows that added sugars increase the risk of high blood pressure and promotes inflammation. Plus it causes tooth decay if you don't brush your teeth regularly.

How much is recommended?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) daily sugar should be limited to 6 teaspoons (25 g) (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (38 g) (150 calories) for men. Yet, the average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons (82 grams) every day.

If you think that this is too much just think about all the soft drinks, fruit juices, chocolates and sweets you consume every day and you will figure that it is really easy to exceed the 9 tsps per day. Just imagine that 1 bar of Snikers contains almost 25g of sugar.

Is sugar addictive?

Research has shown that sugar stimulates some of the same neural systems like addictive drugs do and there are behavioral similarities between drug self-administration and intermittent, excessive sugar intake.

The concept of “sugar addiction” has been under the microscope for many years now (1). In these accounts, people describe symptoms of withdrawal when they deprive themselves of sugar-rich foods. They also experience food cravings, particularly for carbohydrates, chocolate and sugar, which can trigger relapse and impulsive eating, that may result in obesity or eating disorders.

What about fruits, are they bad too?

Many people now believe that since added sugars are bad, the same must apply to fruits, which contain fructose. However, this is completely wrong. Fructose is only harmful in large amounts and it is almost impossible to overeat fructose by eating fruits. These are healthy foods that contain water, fiber and valuable micronutrients that are necessary in order to be healthy.

Symptoms of high sugar consumption

• Fuzzy thinking or foggy mind

• Fatigue or sleepiness after meals

• Gas, bloating or extended stomach after meals

• Headache

• Joint pain

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Skin problems

• Allergy symptoms

• Mood swings, like emotional ups and downs (anger, sadness, lack of will power, depression, etc.)

Conclusion

Sugar should be kept in moderate levels as recommended. Do not try to completely eliminate sugar because that would not be fun and you might end up binge eating. If you are overweight, obese or diabetic then you should probably avoid sugar as much as possible.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/