How Much Sugar Should I Eat Per Day?

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So can we eat a little bit of sugar each day without harm, or should we avoid it as much as possible?

To answer this question, it's very important to make the distinction between added sugars and natural sugars. Whole foods like fruits and vegetables contain water, fiber and various micronutrients. In this context the naturally occurring sugars are absolutely fine.

However, added sugars are those that are added to food products. The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup. If you want to lose weight and optimize your health, you should limit or avoid foods that contain added sugars.

So in terms of added sugars, which can be harmful, most people can eat a little bit without harm, while others should avoid it as much as possible. It really depends on the individual, which is why it's hard to say what is a safe amount for each person.

According to the AHA, men should eat a maximum of 9 teaspoons per day (37 grams), and women 6 teaspoons (25 grams).

The WHO has much stricter guidelines and recommends no more than 10 grams of added sugar per day for men and women, which is a little over 2 teaspoons.

To put that into perspective, one 12 oz regular can of coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, while a regular sized snickers or mars bar contains about 6 teaspoons.

Honestly, if you are healthy, lean and active, you’ll probably burn off these small amounts of sugar without them causing you much harm.

But if you are very overweight, diabetic or have some other diet-related metabolic health issues then you should aim for little to no added sugar in your diet. Ultimately they don’t serve any physiological purpose in our bodies so the less you eat, the healthier you'll be.

So, what's the easiest and most effective way to reduce your intake of added sugars.

In rough order of importance, avoid soft drinks (sodas), fruit juices, candies and lollies, baked sweets (like cakes), fruits canned in syrup, flavored "low-fat" or diet foods, and dried fruits.

Drink water as your main beverage and don’t add sugar to your coffee or tea.

Depending on the recipe, good alternatives to sugar may be things like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, or sweeteners like stevia.

At the end of the day, natural sugars in fruits and vegetables are completely fine, but we should all limit our added sugar consumption.

Some people can handle a little bit, but for others it can lead to binge eating, weight gain and disease.

Personally I like the WHO recommendation of 10 grams maximum of added sugar per day, or 70 grams per week. It's very strict, but that way even if you fall short, your intake will almost certainly fall within the American Heart Association guidelines.

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