The average person eats 75 grams of added sugar each day–visualize 19 teaspoons, 6 tablespoons, or 2/5 of a cup. Keep in mind that this figure doesn’t include the sugar that is naturally occurring in fruits, vegetables and dairy products–just all the sugar that has been added to foods and beverages.
Easy to identify are the 40% of added sugar that comes from soft drinks or sweetened beverages, the 4% from cereals, and the 5% from cakes and cookies. A good quarter of the added sugars in our diets come from sources that are hidden–hidden in everyday prepared foods like ketchup, box mixes, salad dressing, peanut butter and canned fruits and vegetables. We need a keen eye to identify and limit these sources of sugar.
