Healthy Eating Club Courses 
Sugar - how much can I eat?
Key Points
Australians consume on average about about 22 teaspoons of sugar per day providing some 440 calories (1840 kilojoules). Cutting this to less than 10 teaspoons per day makes nutritional sense.
e.g dried fruit, jam, honey? YES
If you feel like something sweet these foods are preferable to processed sweet foods like soft drinks, lollies etc which provide empty calories.
- 1200kcal weight loss diet = 15g sugar (3 teaspoons)
- 1500kcal weight loss diet = 20g sugar (4 teaspoons)
- 2000kcal (average energy intake for women) = 25g sugar (5 teaspoons)
- 2800kcal (average energy intake for men) = 35g sugar (7 teaspoons)
- People with diabetes can also have 4-5 teaspoons of sugar per day
- soft drinks 375ml can = 10 teaspoons
- cordial or fruit juice 250ml glass = 5 teaspoons
- flavoured milk, 300ml carton = 6 teaspoons
- chocolate 50g = 7 teaspoons
- Coco Pops, Froot Loops, 1 cup, 30g = 2 teaspoons
- Tomato sauce, 20g (1 tablespoon) = 1 teaspoon
- 2000kcal (average energy intake for women) = 25g sugar (5 teaspoons).
Audio Transcripts
Can I eat as much sugar as I like?
The Australian dietary guidelines recommend that we "consume only moderate amounts of sugar and foods containing added sugars". However, many nutrition experts believe this guideline should be removed. Most nutrition experts agree that we need to cut back on saturated fat and salt, but the story is somewhat controversial for sugar. Some nutrition experts have written articles about removing the focus off sugar and communicating more about the concept of the glycaemic index (Williams P, Aust J Nutrition Dietetics 2001; 58 (1): 26-31).
Dr Rosemary Stanton has written a review paper on why Australia should retain a dietary guideline on moderating sugar intake (Stanton R, Aust J Nutrition Dietetics 2001; 58 (1): 31-35). The Australian New Zealand Food Authority decided in December 2000 that the sugar content of a food product should be included on the mandatory nutrition information panel along with information on the glycaemic index (see module on Food Labels).Even though sugar per se has not been linked with heart disease, diabetes, cancer or obesity, there is enough evidence to warrant some caution about consuming too much sugar. High sugar/sucrose intakes (>5% energy intake) have been associated with:
- Dental caries (Moynihan, Br Dent J 2000; 188: 308-12)
- Increased tendency for blood clots (Marckmann et al., Metabolism 2000; 49: 731-5)
- Decreased levels of good cholesterol (HDL) (Tillotson et al., Am J Clin Nutr 1997; 65 (1 Suppl): 314-26
- Increased levels of a blood fat "triglyceride" associated with diabetes and heart disease (Daly et al., Am J Clin Nutr 1997; 66: 1072-85)
Is it OK to eat foods high in "naturally" occuring sugars e.g dried fruit, jam, honey?
It is sound nutritional advice to limit consumption of foods and beverages that are ENERGY DENSE and contribute EMPTY CALORIES i.e where you have lots of calories/kilojoules but few nutrients which is the case with soft drinks, lollies, cordials etc. Healthy foods which are naturally high in sugars are preferable to foods high in added sugar. The former provide other nutrients and phytochemicals apart from the sugar - such foods include fresh fruit, dried fruit, milk, jam, honey.Before the discovery of antioxidant phytochemicals in plant foods, jams and honey were not recommended because they were seen as only containing sugar and no other nutrients in significant amounts. However, they have recently been found to contain significant amounts of phytochemicals especially pure honey and 100% fruit jams made with berries, citrus fruits (especially the peel). Many of the fruits used in jams are seasonal and jams are a method of preserving them for consumption when the season ends. Consuming a small amount of a variety of jams across the week will enable you to include some protective phytochemicals in your diet. In other words, not all sweet foods are nutritionally equal - home made sweet whole meal biscuits made with olive oil, orange juice and orange peel will have more nutrients and antioxidant phytochemicals than some highly processed commercial biscuits.
Soft drink consumption should be limited or even better, avoided. Mean daily intake of soft drinks in the US among 2-18 year olds is 255g/day and 209g in Australia for the same age group.Consumption of softdrink is slowly increasing worldwide and excessive intake may be contributing to obesity and osteoporosis. A study showed that there was more than 1 kg body weight gain in subjects after 3 weeks consuming about 4 glasses of soft drink daily compared with volunteers drinking the same amount of diet soft drink. Phosphoric acid in soft drinks may cause slow decomposition of bone minerals, which can inhibit the achievement of peak bone mass in young people.
Can I sprinkle a little sugar on healthy foods or in beverages to improve their flavour e.g porridge, milk, tea?
The body can obtain sufficient sugar for its needs from unrefined/natural carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, corn and other vegetables, fruit, pulses, nuts, seeds and lactose in milk; these foods are also rich in other nutrients. However, adding some sugar to such nutrient dense healthy foods is acceptable if it helps you eat/drink them. For example, adding some sugar to porridge or weet bix or to your cup of tea will not destroy an otherwise healthy diet nor will it make you gain weight. Adding sugar or milo to milk may encourage a child to drink more milk if they dislike the flavour of plain milk.
If fruit is OK, can I have as much fruit juice as I like?
Fruit juice should not replace fresh fruit because it is devoid of fibre and lower in vitamins and antioxidant phytochemicals. But having some juice is better than not having any fruit at all. Limit juice to 200ml or 2 small glasses per day, especially children, and it should not replace milk in the diets of young children. Try to have a variety of juices across the week, especially juices which contain fruits that you rarely consume in their fresh state e.g cranberries. Prefer juices which are unfiltered, contain the whole fruit and are thus higher in fibre and nutrients.
In a study on 168 children aged 2-5 years, 11% were found to be consuming over 360ml juice per day, which was considered to be excessive. Their diets contained a much higher percentage of energy in the form of simple sugars and a lower percentage of fat. The prevalence of overweight and short stature was higher among children who consumed excess fruit juice. 42% of those consuming more than 360ml were short and 53% had a body mass index which was in the overweight or obese range. No association was observed between milk consumption and obesity (Dennison et al. Pediatrics 1997; 99: 15-22)