How much sugar (cane sugar/beet sugar) do you think each person eats in a year?

A lot! Each person the U.S. consumes about 70 pounds of sugar a year. An individual from Europe, about 92 pounds. Brazil had the highest consumption per person at 123 lbs for this last year! To say we like our sugar is an understatement!

Pros/Cons: Sugar might make foods taste better and give that temporary "sugar high" which makes one feel pretty good. However, increased sugar consumption is associated with obesity, diabetes, and cavities, not to mention crashing after your "sugar high." Some people argue that sugar affects the brain like a drug and can be addictive to certain individuals. Also, sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever. In sum, we could do very well without even eating a bite of the refined stuff.

How much do you eat? Do you know how much refined sugar you eat in a typical day? To put it in perspective, let's take a look at some foods/drinks and their sugar content.

g = Grams; 14 Grams = 1 Tablespoon

• Peanut Butter, 2 Tbsp = 2.5g
• Ketchup, 1 Tbsp = 3.1g
• Graham Crackers, 2 = 7g
• Honey Nut Cheerios, ¾ Cup = 9g
• Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut = 10g
• Edy’s Slow Churned Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, ½ Cup = 13g
• Fruit Loops, 1 Cup = 14g
• Hershey Kisses, 9 kisses = 21g
• Starbucks Nonfat Café Mocha, Tall = 25g
• Reese Peanut Butter Cups, 1 package = 25g
• Ben And Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, ½ Cup = 28g
• M&Ms, 1 package = 31g
• Slim Fast, Milk Chocolate, 1 can = 34g (and people drink this to lose weight!!!)
• Dr Pepper, 12 fl oz = 40g
• Mountain Dew, 12fl oz = 46g

Tips:

In the days to come, see how you can decrease your sugar intake. You might feel all the better for it too!

If you're craving something sweet, try fresh fruit which has nutrients, fiber, and fewer calories. Or you check out Healthier Sweet Snacks for other ideas on how to satisfy your sweet tooth.

photo credit: lusi
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Originally posted 2007-11-09 08:00:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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