Added sugar

Added sugar is a new criterion for a healthy diet. The standard is that "a person eating 2,000 calories per day should consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar daily."

A more aggressive approach recommended by the renowned MD Anderson is that:

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Women should have no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, and men should have no more than 37 grams.

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Beginning in July 2018, the FDA has required packaged foods to disclose its added sugar on its label. This disclosure helps consumers avoid packaged foods containing added sugar, particularly as a substantial percentage of the daily recommended amount.

Health risk

In addition to increasing one's risk of diabetes, added sugar increases the risk of developing kidney stones. "Participants who received more than 25% of their total energy from added sugars had a 88% higher chance of developing kidney stones than those with less than 5% of their total energy from added sugars."

Examples

• Breyer's ice cream: 15 grams per serving
• Chobani fruit yogurt: 9 grams per serving
• Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips: 6 grams per serving
• fresh fruit: 0 grams of added sugar per serving, although it has substantial (e.g., 15 grams per serving) carbohydrates
• soda: "One can of cola has more added sugar than is recommended in a day. Along with 37 grams of sugar, there are 15.2 grams of glucose in a 12-ounce can of cola. Sugar-sweetened beverages, like cola, are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet ...."

• "a 20-ounce bottle of Coke could show 65 grams of added sugar, representing 130 percent of a recommended daily intake."

• beer: most beer has added sugar, varying depending on the brand, and this is suspected of causing a "beer belly."
• whole-grain pasta, and some other types, have no added sugar but do contain substantial carbohydrates