Nutrition -- Sugar

A gram of sugar yields 4 calories. So the 150 calorie limit for men (the limit for women is 100) would be 37.5 grams. A nice round number. If you want to talk teaspoons, a teaspoon (a level teaspoon that is) is 4 grams or 16 calories.

The claim is that the average American man consumes 24 teaspoons (384 calories) per day. Sugar hides in many processed foods.

Soda consumption is the main source of sugar for most people. So if you want to reduce your sugar intake, focusing on your soda consumption is by far the first place to start.

As a yardstick, I find myself asking how much sugar is in 32 ounces of soda. They say that a 32 ounce Mountain Dew has 116 grams of sugar. This is 464 calories, and clearly over the recommended 150 calorie limit.

What about a can of coke? 39 grams -- which is 156 calories. Just over the 150 calorie limit for men, but we will give you those 6 calories. The ladies however will need to ponder their options.

I am not a habitual soda drinker. I might drink a half can (75 calories) per day in hot weather. My main sugar intake is in sweet evening snacks, i.e. ice cream. But I am starting to rethink and reduce my ice cream consumption due to saturated fat limits. I can still consume it, but not the unlimited amount I used to.

I enjoy an evening cup of hot tea with as much as 2 teaspoons of sugar added. This is 8 grams or 32 calories, which is well under the 150 calorie limit.

A list of things "wrong" with consuming sugar

1. Calories - if you have a weight problem (as most people do it seems). Sugar piles on calories.
2. Tooth decay - some say that cavities almost didn't exist before candy was consumed in abundance. Some societies (Sweden) only allow candy consumption on Saturdays. A nice idea.
3. Sugar consumption leads to insulin resistance, which leads to type II diabetes.
4. If you are aiming to avoid processed food as a point of principle, it is pretty clear that sugar is a highly processed food.
5. Increased sugar consumption leads to fatty liver disease.
6. Increased sugar consumption is related to triglycerides and cholesterol (heart disease).
7. Increased sugar consumption increases chronic inflamation, which is also a heart disease factor.

Sugar and heart health

However, if you have issues with your weight, the sugar game is entirely different. Being overweight seems to alter your body chemistry in bad ways, and not only that overweight people tend to exercise less (which came first here, the horse or the buggy?). If you have weight issues, you likely need to address sugar consumption.