The high amounts of sugar in our diet, along with a number of other factors are blamed for obesity and other health problems. Hence, reducing your intake of sugar is necessary. A significant source of sugar in our diet is hidden in additional sources. However, calculating the amount of sugar in your daily diet can help you judge and reduce your intake of sugar. To help you calculate how much sugar you eat, this article will help you read the nutrition label and calculate sugar in packaged and other foods we consume every day.
Calculating Sugar in Packaged Food
A large and unsuspecting part of your sugar intake comes from the packaged foods you consume. However, certain packaged foods contain more sugar than others. Therefore, checking the sugar in packaged foods will help you calculate how much sugar you eat. Look at the nutritional label of the packaged food for calculating the sugar content of these.
Sugar is listed in grams beneath the total carbohydrate content of the packaged food. Since a teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to 4 grams of sugar in the product, you will need to divide the listed number of sugar in grams by 4. This will help you arrive at the teaspoons of sugar in the packaged food. Moreover, also look at the serving instructions listed on the product. If the serving instructions suggest 12 grams in a serving, this means you are consuming 3 teaspoons of sugar per serving of the packaged food.
Sugar in Drinks
The juices and soft drinks we so readily drink are also high in sugar content and therefore, should also be looked upon as a significant source of sugar in our everyday life. A can of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar as it contains about 40 grams of sugar. Similarly, orange juice also includes sugar, though the sugar content of the orange juice is less than that in Coke. A glass of orange juice contains about 4 teaspoons of sugar as it contains about 16 grams of sugar. Therefore, looking into the nutrition list of the drinks you consume also helps you calculate how much sugar you eat.
Fruits
Though fruits are healthy and contain a number of nutrients, they are also a source of sugar. Even a medium-sized orange, banana and apple have sugar equivalent to 3 to 5 teaspoons. Therefore, also look into the daily servings of your fruits to calculate how much sugar you eat.
This brief checklist of sugar content of packaged and other foods will help you calculate how much sugar you eat.
