I Need a Sugar Intervention

After carefully tracking my diet for a few months I've learned that I have a massive sugar addiction. Diet Coke, yogurt, and carrots have replaced candy bars, regular sodas, and ice cream as healthier options for my sweet fix, but they are still providing me with an enormous amount of sugar each day.

I read yesterday that the average American consumes anywhere from 70 to 130 pounds of sugar annually. That translates to 20 to 40 teaspoons daily, and that's a lot of empty calories. Now sugar farmers must be happy guys because we're consuming about 4 times the USDA recommended amount of 10 teaspoons daily.

A little poking around revealed that at the turn of the century the number was about 5 lbs per year or a mere 1 or 2 teaspoons per day. No wonder we've gotten so huge.

How do those numbers translate to the foods we eat daily? Well a cup of yogurt provides 70% of our 10 teaspoons. A cup of ice cream about 6 teaspoons. Coke gives you all you need and carries about 10 teaspoons per can. As the competition continues I'm going to make a strong effort and try to limit my sugar intake to the recommended 10 teaspoons a day.

Here is a list of other foods and their sugar content.