Ive never looked into sugar intake reccomendations but took a look on the NHS to learn it was only 30g. For most of you this wont be shocking but as someone who just blindly went through life not looking at this i couldnt believe it.
A can of coke has 39g of sugar in it.
How are companies able to sell things that go past the government daily reccomended amount? Id understand if it was 30g of sugar meaning, technically if you only had that all day then you wouldn’t go over (Aware that would be unrealistic but at least it would technically still be in the range)
As someone who has a sweet tooth, this is very disappointing but im just going to have to cut out sugar all together now.
Companies simply need to label it to inform the consumer. The nutrition facts panel on the back of a can of Coke states that it’s over 100% of your RDI of sugar. At the end of the day, the only entity that will be on the lookout for your health is yourself.
Sodas are big culprits when it comes to people going far above the daily recommended sugar intake. Especially since they are liquids and therefore more easily consumed. It might seem like a very small amount, but if you cut out soda and juice that are packed with sugar, you actually have around 6 to 9 teaspoons of sugar you can consume per day. That is at least one dessert per day, which I’d say is enough to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Sugar intake in the US is outright depressing.
Children are naturally inclined to sweet flavors, but that affinity is something we’re supposed to grow out of with time, and become more embracing of all other flavors, including bitters. Thanks to the food industry here, they seem to have succeeded in preventing that growth in flavors from happening at all.
If you’re living an overall health lifestyle, a bit of extra sugar isn’t going to be that big of a deal. Yes, it’s smart to limit it but you don’t need to fear it. Just educate yourself around total calories, micronutrients, lifestyle health markers (walks, stress, relationships), and enjoy yourself. We’re in a weird time where sugar is known to be a part of the issue but everyone is picking on it a bit more than it deserves.
In answer to the first question, companies can sell things with massive amounts of sugar, and other things, because it is not illegal to do so. Those are only recommended values aimed at consumers. It is up to consumers to make their choices about what to eat. Obviously many don’t but that is a whole other topic.
Sugar is not totally bad if taken in strong moderation and accounted for in your overall daily caloric intake. The issue with sugar is the so called ‘empty calories’. You end up with a ton of sugar calories that provide zero in other required nutrients. So adding a ton of sugar to items that do have good nutritional value just ends up blowing your daily caloric intake up.
There are of course health issues that can arise from excessive added sugar intake. Diabetes, rotten teeth and a lots more but unless you have a health issue that requires it, like diabetes, there is no need to totally cut out sugar. You just need to watch it very carefully. You can have a can of Coke. You shouldn’t have 6 every day. You should not wash down a stack sugar cookies with a can of Coke.
As a nurse, when I educate patients on how much sugar they’re suppose to have, they truly have no concept. I always use soda to bring them to some understanding. And to think some patients have about 2-3 cans a day, let’s not even count their actual food.
Sugar is addictive, reason why companies use more sugar than needed… to keep you hooked and wanting more.
Have you ever noticed hunger pains the next day due to eating processed foods with sugar in it? I have… after limiting my sugar intake, I’m in more control over my hunger.
The sugar bashing in this sub is tiring!! There are many people who consume over 30g of sugar a day and are healthy in their 80s and many people who consume the recommended amount or less and are still unfit in thier 30s.
I see NHS guidance and Sugar Tax as wrong. Consuming anything in excess of what you can handle is going to mess you up, be it Surgar, Fat, even Protein or any vitamin.
As far as the UK goes, the drinking culture is probably the single most culprit for ill health, accidents, fights which loads the NHS rather than Sugar or even Cigarettes
I think everyone’s sugar needs are different and it depends on your activity level. But added sugar is bad for everyone. I’m a very fit person but I do not eat any added sugar in my diet. Most of my source of carbohydrates comes from real food. Mostly fruit, and rice occasionally.
It be like that, we live in an obesigenic society. I wonder too, why the government doesn’t step in more if healthier options would benefit everyone, but all you can do is focus on your own choices and your own health. Take steps to cut out sugar, cutting it out all at once might be too difficult.
Sugar isn’t recommended. There is an advised limit to it.
If people couldn’t sell things over the RDA most fruits and veggies would be banned since they go over your RDA for some vitamins and minerals.
Also RDAs aren’t specific to specific people. It’s a generalization.
Industrialization and capitalism have caused people to become our enemy anytime someone wants to sell you soemthing many times they wish to get you addicted to what they sell not help you be well but help you become addicted to thier product
Yeah… Too much sugar is toxic and leads to health issues… Added sugars are your adversary.. Natural sugars are ok because they naturally stop you from overeating whereas added sugars have the opposite effect which is why you get fat quicker…
Where i’m at 10% daily calorie intake is allowed. So 2000 calorie diet gives 50g which is actually quite a lot imho. Just chose zero drinks and the rest can be like a sweet snack once a day. Oh, the fruit sugar doesn’t count here. From fresh fruit mind you.
Sugar is harmless. Has the Blame for everything when it’s just “dietary fats” causing all of it.
I consume about 100 grams of sugar a day more or less. I don’t consume anymore than 20 grams of fat a day.
Blood work is very good. The dr didn’t even believe I have this much sugar.. it’s all a bs and todays trend is high fat and proteins so there is so much negative propaganda on sugar.
Remember we are built to run and consume “sugars” every cell in the body needs it and a lot of it.
The standard recommendations are just approximate guidelines, watered down to be a simple general message. WHO says max 10 % of the calories, so for let’s say 2 400 kcal that would be 240 / 4 = 60 g sugar.
In the 1940s and 50s Dr. Walter Kempner at Duke University was curing diabetics and other patients with his ‘rice diet’ that was high in white sugar, sometimes up to 500 grams a day. This is not very known today, guess it doesn’t fit into the current ‘narrative’ of sugar as a poison and a drug. Sugar has been smeared a lot, but it’s basically fuel for the body.
I don’t see how that’s even possible. I mean an apple, which is considered to be very healthy, has 19 grams of sugar. A serving of kidney beans has 4 grams. Whole grain bread which a lot of nutritional guidelines say you should have 6 slices of would come to around 10 grams of sugar. Whoever comes up with these figures needs to explain how a person eats only 30 grams of sugar a day and still eats.
I’ve noticed this recently too! I was wondering if natural sugar can be just as bad? Some people are saying that natural sugars stop you from overeating but that doesn’t make sense.
A lot of fruits have super high sugar, for example, a clementine is 7-9 grams of sugar. A banana is 14g. I can still definitely eat around 4 clementines or 2 bananas if I wanted to. I cut down my consumption of fruit because of this reason.
But yes, cutting down on unnatural sugar is super important. I read somewhere that the average American eats 85g of sugar a day, insane.
You think the NHS gives good advice? That food companies won’t abuse the addicted public and push narratives like “everything in moderation”.
Eat real food, drink water, sleep 8 hours, work hard then treat occasionally, bake your own food if you want but you don’t need it.