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Photo: Uwe Hermann
The average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugar every day. In a statement released by the American Heart Association, this amount of discretionary sugar consumption puts people at higher risk for obesity, heart disease, stroke, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, and inflammation--a risk factor for many chronic diseases.
The AHA recommends that women eat no more than 100 calories of added sugars per day; men should limit their intake to less than 150 calories. This translates to about 6 teaspoons or 25 grams of sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons or 38 grams per day for men.
"Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories," says Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington.
According to the statement, sugar sweetened beverages and soft drinks are the major sources of extra sugar calories in the American diet.
Sweet alternatives to synthetic sugar substitutes
- Pure maple syrup can be used to replace table sugar in just about any recipe. For every cup of sugar you replace, use 3/4 cup maple syrup and decrease the other liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons.
- Agave nectar is derived from the the cactus-like blue agave plant. A little bit of this low-glycemic index sweetener goes a long way. Use 1/4 cup of agave nectar for each cup of sugar you're replacing in a recipe. You'll only need a splash in your morning coffee to start your day off right.
- Brown rice syrup is a slightly-less-sweet sugar substitute. Use 1.25 cups of brown rice syrup for each cup of sugar in a recipe and decrease the other liquid by 1/4 cup.
(AHA News Release, August 24, 2009)
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