The United States Department of Agriculture1 reports that the average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day. That adds up to about 58 pounds of added sugar each year! At first glance, it seems like we are eating a lot of candy, cookies and cake. But in reality, many of us are drinking, rather than eating, all that excess sugar.
The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugar to about 10% of our total calorie intake. For someone on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, that’s about 12 teaspoons per day. But what we pour into our cups and glasses leads us to exceed those limits routinely
Did you know?
And we drink them all down without a second thought. The USDA reports2 that almost half of our added sugar intake comes from sugar-laden drinks.
Excess sugar can cause obesity and overtax our pancreas, leading to Type 2 diabetes. It is also a contributing factor to heart disease. Excess body weight from overconsumption of sugar also makes it easier for cancer cells to grow.3
So what can we do to avoid overindulging in liquid sugar?
Here are seven tips to help you dial back on this sweet problem that’s adversely affecting our collective health.
Eliminating liquid sugar from your diet takes a little planning and a lot of willpower. In the end, you will reap terrific long-term health benefits from your efforts.
GuideStone cares about your health. We believe that when the Body of Christ is healthy, it’s free to transform the world. That’s why each of our health plans includes wellness tools and resources designed to keep you healthy and ready to serve. See why GuideStone’s Christian health plans are a good fit for your team.
1https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf
2https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/DGA_Cut-Down-On-Added-Sugars.pdf
3https://www.iowaclinic.com/pediatrics/the-not-so-sweet-ways-added-sugar-can-harm-your-body/
4https://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/22/FruitJuice052217