These days, sugar is in almost everything. Although a food may not be particularly “sweet,” it can very easily still have added sweetener. Even if you can’t taste it, eating too much sugar can lead to a number of health effects. One place where sugar sneaks in most commonly is condiments—things like ketchup, salad dressing, and even barbecue sauce are often packed with sweetener.
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According to Professor Ariel Revel, medical affairs manager at Kadimastem, developer of a treatment for ALS and a cure for diabetes, increased sugar in your diet could put you at risk for many health issues. “In a study from 2014 by Hu et al, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) the authors showed that people who got 20% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar.” He says.
So how much sugar should you aim for in your diet? “24 teaspoons of added sugar per day is certainly too much. It's hard to say what is the right amount of sugar consumption. The American Heart Association suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.” To put it in perspective, this is close to the amount in a 12 ounce can of sweetened soda.
Too much sugar in your diet could pose a risk to your health, but all things can be enjoyed in moderation. With that in mind, when it comes to high sugar condiments, the best rule of thumb is to check ingredient labels closely—if you are buying any pre-packaged condiments, especially. The next time you go grocery shopping, check the labels on pre-packaged condiments and look at the sugar content. Another thing to be aware of is that sugar may appear in sneaky ways on the label, so if you see anything called sucrose, dextrose, or fructose on your label, it is just another form of sugar that’s added into the product.
Beyond condiments, one thing Revel suggests steering clear of is soda. “Did you know that in the US alone, drinks, including soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, make up almost 50% of our daily intake? A healthier swap is of course water and getting used to drinking tea and coffee without adding sugar.” Drinking too much sugar is one way you could very easily get too much of it in your diet. However, if you don’t want to lose the added sweetness in your beverages, opt for sugar free alternatives and sweeteners. One safe option Revel suggests is Stevia. However, these should be used in moderation.
