How much sugar should you have in your diet?

Halloween is right around the corner and soon we will be surrounded by bags of candy.

In August of 2009, the American Heart Association(AHA) came out with guidelines for the recommended amount of added sugar Americans should consume daily. It may surprise you to find out that Americans consume about 22 grams of sugar per day that equals about 355 calories per day. The new AHA guidelines suggest that women limit intake to 6 teaspoons (approximately 25 grams or 100 calories) of added sugar per day while men not consume more than 9 teaspoons (approximately 37.5 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day.

Although sugar in not directly associated with heart disease, it is associated with risk factors such as obesity, high triglycerides and high blood pressure. Following the new AHA guidelines will help prevent those risk factors.

We can easily recognize the added table sugar we put in beverages – but what else is added sugar? Sugars include: corn syrup, dextrose, corn sweetener, maltose, malt syrup, glucose, molasses, sucrose, syrup and high fructose corn syrup. These ingredients are found in candies, cakes, cookies and soft drinks. Other natural sugars, fructose and lactose, can be found in fruit and dairy products are a part of a healthy diet and are not considered added sugar. Sugar is a primary preservative and can be found in foods thought of as non-sugary foods such as macaroni and cheese and processed chicken breasts. Reading the nutrition facts label including the ingredient list can be helpful in determining the amount of added sugar in a food.

So how many mini candy bars can you have on Halloween? Three fun size bars contain 25 grams of sugar and 240 calories. The candy bars not only have added sugar but added saturated fat, so if you are concerned about heart health, limit your fun size bar to one.