Hello Impact Family and Friends,
This sugar stat caught me by surprise… and I thought I already knew a LOT about sugar. Eating just 100 calories a day of sugar (which is about 25 grams of added sugars, or 6 teaspoons) is linked to 45 DIFFERENT negative health outcomes. Here’s a quick rundown of how much (or how little!) sugar that is:
- 1 can (12 fl oz) of regular soda
- 1 cup (250 ml) of chocolate milk
- 1 cup (245 g) of sweetened yogurt
- 2 Tbsp of honey
- 2 Tbsp of maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp of regular ketchup
- 1 small glazed doughnut
- 2 small cookies
- 1 small candy bar
And just for clarification — that’s not all of those things combined. Each one of those items contains about 25 grams of added sugars.
Here are some of the negative health outcomes linked with a high sugar intake:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Asthma
- Depression
- Some types of cancer (including breast, prostate, & pancreatic)
- Gout
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Liver disease
- High cholesterol
- Tooth decay
In a study published in the BMJ earlier this year, researchers recommended eating less than 25 grams of sugar a day AND keeping sugary beverage intake to less than 1 a week (about 200-355 ml or ⅔ – 1½ cups).
So what should you do about this?
It’s true: Quitting sugar cold turkey can be tough. Also, swearing off ANY food is unsustainable for most of us.
“We recommend a moderate approach. If sugar is a concern to you, make sure you mention this to your healthcare provider, and in the meantime track your sugar intake and reserve sweet treats for special occasions.”
