40 grams of sugar is about 9-10 teaspoons, a sufficient amount to a healthier and more balanced diet, providing enough calories to boost your energy throughout an entire day. According to the American Health Association, the suggested dietary sugar consumption throughout the day for an adult male is about 36g and 25g for women. However, this may also vary depending on diet and physical activity. But even with this information, most people are still consuming more. How? After a night’s sleep, our body has slowly digested much-needed calories. As our internal systems restore, our body sends messages to our brain, requesting fuel, which we normally perceive as hunger. For adults, we usually start the day with toasted bread, bacon, or eggs for protein, and a warm cup of coffee with 1-2 teaspoons, which is about 8 grams of sugar. During lunch, we may go for a slice of fruitcake that has about 12 grams of sugar. A fair amount of snacks can also have 10 grams of sugar, as we go by our day at work. That’s about 32 grams, and the day isn’t even over yet!
40 and Above
Going over the sugar intake, our body requires can potentially cause several health problems, including high blood pressure, weight gain, and diabetes. While some people are cautious about sweets, table sugar isn’t the only thing they have to look out for. People can be conscious about their diet but still consume more than the average amount of sugar every day. Carbohydrates from bread and rice are broken down and converted into sugar and used as our body’s energy depot. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and butter also contain lactose, which is a good source of fat. As healthy as they claim to be, fruits also have high amounts of sugar. A substantial amount of sugar can also be found on beverages like soda and fruit juice which is about 20-40 grams in a glass, potentially exceeding the healthy amount that our body would need. So, if you’re still drinking a bottle of Pepsi or Coke more than once a day, you may want to reconsider your diet. Children are also at risk of tooth decay, obesity, or even diabetes from too much sugar. Studies show that children consume more sugar than an average adult in a day, considering that their diet mostly makes up of food that is readily available such as chips, soda, and sweets. Parents prefer fruit juice for their kids as a healthy alternative, while blissfully unaware of the amount of sugar it has in every cup.
What can we do?
A strict diet with 40 grams of sugar can be difficult, or even prove to be impossible. So, what are our options? We can limit our sugar intake by being cautious about what we are eating. Checking on alternatives with less sugar can use a bit more effort in research and checking on nutrition facts, but it’s definitely worth it. Engaging in an active and healthy lifestyle would lessen the risk of getting sugar-related diseases. A full 30-minute walk burns 180 calories, which is equivalent to 20 grams of sugar. Working out and being more physically active also burns more calories, hence using sugar as much-needed fuel.
