“Fun” Facts About Sugar
Published on Nov 9th, 2007 in Fun Facts, Nutrition with
How much sugar (cane sugar/beet sugar) do you think each person eats in a year?
A lot! Each person the U.S. consumes about 70 pounds of sugar a year. An individual from Europe, about 92 pounds. Brazil had the highest consumption per person at 123 lbs for this last year! To say we like our sugar is an understatement!
Pros/Cons: Sugar might make foods taste better and give that temporary “sugar high” which makes one feel pretty good. However, increased sugar consumption is associated with obesity, diabetes, and cavities, not to mention crashing after your “sugar high.” Some people argue that sugar affects the brain like a drug and can be addictive to certain individuals. Also, sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever. In sum, we could do very well without even eating a bite of the refined stuff.
How much do you eat? Do you know how much refined sugar you eat in a typical day? To put it in perspective, let’s take a look at some foods/drinks and their sugar content.
g = Grams; 14 Grams = 1 Tablespoon
- Peanut Butter, 2 Tbsp = 2.5g
- Ketchup, 1 Tbsp = 3.1g
- Graham Crackers, 2 = 7g
- Honey Nut Cheerios, ¾ Cup = 9g
- Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut = 10g
- Edy’s Slow Churned Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, ½ Cup = 13g
- Fruit Loops, 1 Cup = 14g
- Hershey Kisses, 9 kisses = 21g
- Starbucks Nonfat Café Mocha, Tall = 25g
- Reese Peanut Butter Cups, 1 package = 25g
- Ben And Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, ½ Cup = 28g
- M&Ms, 1 package = 31g
- Slim Fast, Milk Chocolate, 1 can = 34g (and people drink this to lose weight!!!)
- Dr Pepper, 12 fl oz = 40g
- Mountain Dew, 12fl oz = 46g
Tips:
In the days to come, see how you can decrease your sugar intake. You might feel all the better for it too! 
If you’re craving something sweet, try fresh fruit which has nutrients, fiber, and fewer calories. Or you check out Healthier Sweet Snacks for other ideas on how to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Wow, I had no idea how bad sugared soft drinks were–and so many people drink far more than 12 ounces at a time. (Like those bucket sized cups they sell at 7-11.)
I used to drink Cokes all the time. I’d still go back to them if sugar were suddenly declared a health food. Sigh. I miss ‘em and water or tea just isn’t the same.
Thanks for all the info!
Thanks, Crabby!
A super-sized soft drink can get up to an incredible 42 fl oz! For Coke, that’s about 142 grams of sugar, which is approximately 10 tablespoons!!!
I’m picky about my water. It’s got to taste right to me and be cold; otherwise, I just don’t like it! If I need a little flavor, I’ll drink watered down 100% cranberry juice. Took a while to get used to, but now I like it.