An average American eats about 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day! 🥄 And how much sugar a day should we eat? The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 g) a day for women and 9 teaspoons (36 g) for men, while children younger than two years old shouldn't eat any added sugar at all.
They shouldn't, yet it doesn't always mean they won't. Added sugars may be found in formulas and foods used for complementary feeding, and their intake is associated with rapid weight gain in infants and toddlers. That is a real problem: by 2030, an estimated 250 million children worldwide will be living with obesity.
Food and drinks contain both natural and added sugars. Added sugars are put in during processing or preparation of foods and drinks, or spooned in at the table. Why do we consider them the bad guys? They give you nothing besides calories.
This added sugar intake calculator helps you see how much added sugar you consume in a day, sometimes without knowing it. Keep reading to learn what happens when you exceed the recommended sugar intake, how to spot added sugars in your diet, and what healthier alternatives (such as artificial sweeteners) you have.
We do our best to make this tool precise and reliable. However, it can never replace a professional doctor's assessment. All information on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical consultation. Always discuss your results with a health care provider.
Sugar and Health
Too much sugar is unhealthy. Yes, we all know that. But what precisely does unhealthy mean?
First, have you ever wondered how many calories are in a teaspoon of sugar? A level teaspoon holds about 4 g of sugar, and every gram of sugar gives 4 kcal, so one teaspoon is about 16 kcal (67 kJ). A 12 fl oz (355 mL) can of regular soda holds about 39 g, almost 10 teaspoons and 156 kcal, which is more than the whole daily limit for women. As most adults exceed the AHA limits, the effect is easy to see: a pandemic of obesity, a growing number of people with diabetes, and heart disease as a leading cause of death in developed countries.
It is not only about gaining weight or worse skin. A higher sugar intake per day raises the risk of heart disease, partly through the accumulation of fat in the liver.
Too much sugar also drives insulin resistance. Glucose has a harder time entering your cells, and your body answers by producing more insulin. At the beginning this works, but with time your tissues respond less and less. It is a vicious circle that can lead, without any visible symptoms, to type 2 diabetes.
Added sugar is also linked to higher blood pressure and chronic inflammation. All of these factors, a fatty liver, diabetes, hypertension and inflammation, are connected with a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and overall mortality.
Skinny Fat Phenomenon
So let's say you are the lucky one. You may not care at all about the calories in a teaspoon of sugar and still be in shape. The thing is, it's tricky, and it has a name: the skinny fat phenomenon. A "normal" BMI doesn't mean you are healthy.
As a result of an unbalanced diet (among other things, eating a lot of added sugar), you may have low muscle mass even if your fat level is not high. 💪 Muscles improve metabolism, protect vital organs and help in daily activities, so their lack may lead to fatigue and difficulties with day-to-day chores.
So-called normal weight obesity puts people at risk of diabetes. Doctors have noted that such people often show the markers of metabolic disease: high blood sugar, low "good" HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, inflammation or high blood pressure. It raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. It is just as risky as obesity, only without the extra weight.
🙋 Not sure how to interpret your blood sugar levels? Our Blood Sugar Converter translates mg/dL into mmol/L and back.
How to Use the Added Sugar Intake Calculator
- Choose who you are calculating for: an adult woman, an adult man, a child aged 2–18, or a child under 2. This sets the AHA daily limit: 25 g, 36 g, 25 g or zero.
- Pick the measurement system. In the American system you enter drinks in fluid ounces and foods in ounces; in the metric system, in milliliters and grams. Switching the system converts what you have already typed, so the amounts stay the same.
- Enter what you eat and drink on a typical day. Each line shows a typical serving and its added sugar, for example "1 can = 12 fl oz (355 mL) ≈ 39 g". Leave a line empty if you don't have it. Sugar, honey and syrups are counted in teaspoons; for anything else, type the grams of added sugar straight from the label.
- Optionally, enter your daily energy intake in kcal or kJ. The calculator then also checks the World Health Organization limit: less than 10% of your energy from free sugars, and ideally less than 5%.
- Optionally, enter how much you spend a day on sweets and sugary drinks, in any of 12 currencies (US dollar, Russian ruble, euro and more), to see the cost over a week, a month and a year.
The calculator shows your total added sugar in grams, teaspoons, kilocalories and kilojoules, the share of your daily limit, where the sugar comes from, and every step of the calculation with your own numbers:
Added sugar (g) = amount (mL or g) × sugar per 100 mL or 100 g / 100
Teaspoons = grams / 4 · Calories = grams × 4 kcal
Example. A woman drinks one 12 fl oz can of soda (354.9 mL × 11 g / 100 mL = 39.0 g), eats a 1.4 oz bowl of sweetened cereal (39.7 g × 30 g / 100 g = 11.9 g) and a 6 oz cup of flavored yogurt (170.1 g × 7 g / 100 g = 11.9 g), and puts 2 teaspoons of sugar in her coffee (2 × 4 g = 8.0 g). Her total is 39.0 + 11.9 + 11.9 + 8.0 = 70.8 g, that is 17.7 teaspoons and 283.2 kcal, or 283% of her 25 g limit. The can of soda alone is more than half of it.
| Who | AHA daily limit | Teaspoons | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult women | 25 g | 6.25 (about 6) | 100 kcal |
| Adult men | 36 g | 9 | 144 kcal (about 150) |
| Children 2–18 years | less than 25 g | 6.25 (about 6) | 100 kcal |
| Children under 2 years | none | 0 | 0 |
The AHA also advises children aged 2–18 to drink no more than 8 fl oz (236.6 mL) of sugar-sweetened drinks a week, and the calculator warns you when a child's day adds up to more than that.
Where to Find Information About Added Sugar?
The best source is the nutrition label. In the United States, the Nutrition Facts panel lists "Total Sugars" and, below it, "Includes Xg Added Sugars", together with the percent of the Daily Value (50 g a day on a 2,000 kcal diet). Multiply the grams per serving by the number of servings you actually eat and enter the result in the "From nutrition labels" field.
In the European Union and many other countries, labels show "of which sugars" per 100 g or 100 mL. This number includes natural sugars too (lactose in milk, fructose in fruit), so for plain dairy and fruit products it overstates the added part. For sweets, soft drinks and sauces, almost all of it is added.
The ingredient list is the second clue. Ingredients are listed by weight, so if some form of sugar appears among the first three, the product is a significant source.
Top High-in-Sugar Foods and Drinks
Typical values used by the calculator (products differ, so check your own labels):
| Food or drink | Typical serving | Added sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Regular soda | 12 fl oz (355 mL) | 39 g (9.75 tsp) |
| Sweetened coffee drink | 16 fl oz (473 mL) | 38 g (9.5 tsp) |
| Sports drink | 20 fl oz (591 mL) | 34 g (8.5 tsp) |
| Sweetened iced tea | 16 fl oz (473 mL) | 31 g (7.75 tsp) |
| Energy drink | 8.4 fl oz (250 mL) | 27 g (6.75 tsp) |
| Gummies or hard candy | 2 oz (57 g) | 26 g (6.5 tsp) |
| Fruit drink (not 100% juice) | 8 fl oz (237 mL) | 24 g (6 tsp) |
| Cake, donut or pastry | 3 oz (85 g) | 21 g (5.25 tsp) |
| Milk chocolate bar | 1.55 oz (44 g) | 20 g (5 tsp) |
| Sweetened breakfast cereal | 1.4 oz (40 g) | 12 g (3 tsp) |
| Flavored yogurt | 6 oz (170 g) | 12 g (3 tsp) |
| Chocolate milk | 8 fl oz (237 mL) | 12 g (3 tsp) |
| Ice cream | ½ cup, 2.3 oz (65 g) | 10 g (2.5 tsp) |
| Ketchup | 1 tbsp, 0.6 oz (17 g) | 4 g (1 tsp) |
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest single source of added sugar in the American diet. They are also the easiest to overlook, because liquid calories do not make you feel full.
Hidden Enemy
Added sugar hides in foods you would never call dessert: bread, pasta sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, "healthy" granola bars, flavored yogurt, instant oatmeal, canned soups and smoked meats. Products labeled "low fat" often have extra sugar to make up for the lost taste.
Sugar also hides behind many names. Watch the ingredient list for:
- sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose added as an ingredient;
- corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, rice syrup, malt syrup;
- cane sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, raw sugar, invert sugar;
- honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, molasses;
- fruit juice concentrate and nectars.
Honey, syrups and juice concentrates may sound natural, but your body handles them just like table sugar, and both the AHA and the WHO count them as added (free) sugars.
How Can I Cut Down on Sugars?
- Drink water, sparkling water or unsweetened tea and coffee instead of soda, sweet tea and energy drinks. Swapping a single daily can of soda saves about 39 g of sugar a day, over 14 kg (31 lb) a year.
- Cut the spoonfuls gradually. Halve the sugar in your coffee or tea for a week, then halve it again. Taste adapts within a few weeks.
- Choose plain versions of yogurt, oatmeal and cereal, and sweeten them with fresh fruit, cinnamon or vanilla.
- Read labels and compare the "Added Sugars" line between brands; the difference is often surprising.
- Bake with less. Most recipes still work with a third less sugar.
- Keep sweets out of sight and make fruit the easiest snack to reach.
What Other Options Do We Have? Artificial Sweeteners vs Sugar
Artificial and low-calorie sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame K, saccharin, stevia and erythritol give sweetness with few or no calories and do not raise blood sugar the way sugar does. They can help as a step down from sugary drinks.
They are not a free pass, though. In 2023 the WHO advised against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control, because long-term studies did not show lasting benefits for body weight and suggested possible links with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Sugar alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol, erythritol) can also upset the stomach in larger amounts. The best long-term goal is to get used to less sweetness overall.
FAQs
How many grams of added sugar per day are OK?
According to the AHA, no more than 25 g (about 6 teaspoons) for women and children aged 2–18, 36 g (9 teaspoons) for men, and none for children under 2. The WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of your energy intake, ideally below 5%: on a 2,000 kcal diet that is 50 g and 25 g.
How many calories are in a teaspoon of sugar?
About 16 kcal (67 kJ): a level teaspoon holds about 4 g of sugar, and each gram gives 4 kcal.
Do natural sugars count?
No. Sugars that occur naturally in whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk are not added sugars and come together with fiber, vitamins and protein. Honey, syrups and fruit juice concentrates added to foods do count.
Is fruit juice added sugar?
100% fruit juice has no added sugar on the US label, but the WHO counts the sugars in juice as free sugars, and they act on the body much like added sugar. Fruit drinks, cocktails and nectars usually contain added sugar as well.
How many teaspoons of sugar are in a can of soda?
A regular 12 fl oz (355 mL) can contains about 39 g of sugar, that is almost 10 teaspoons and about 156 kcal.
Why does the calculator use 4 g per teaspoon?
It is the convention used on US nutrition labels and by most health organizations. A heaping teaspoon of granulated sugar can weigh more, about 4.2 g or above, so the real number of spoonfuls may be a little lower than the teaspoon count shown.