How Much Sugar One Can Safely Eat Per Day

How Much Sugar Is Too Much

Table of Contents

- Types of Sugar

- Sugar Is Not Essential for Humans

- Good Sugar vs. Bad Sugar

- Recommendations for Maximum Intake of Sugar

Types of Sugar

Sugar serves as our primary and most readily accessible energy source. Our body find it easier to metabolize sugar into energy compared to any other nutrient.

There are many food sources of sugar, like fruits, sugarcane (from which table sugar is produced), vegetables, honey, and milk. However, the level of sweetness varies from one food to another food based on the amount of sugar as well as the presence and taste of other substances found in that food.

For example, there are both sweet oranges and sour oranges. Although both contain ample sugar, it’s the ratio of this sugar to the citric acid in the fruit that determines the predominant taste.

Chemically, sugar is a type of carbohydrates. There are two types of carbohydrates based on sweetness: sweet carbohydrates and non-sweet carbohydrates. Sweet carbohydrates are called sugar, and these carbohydrates are further classified into different forms.

The most commonly found sugars in foods are fructose, sucrose, and lactose. The sweetness found in fruits and vegetables primarily stems from fructose, often referred to as fruit sugar, as well as sucrose.

Vegetables such as red beet, carrot, and sweet potato are characterized by a higher content of sucrose compared to fructose. Conversely, fruits like apple, banana, and grapes and honey exhibit a higher proportion of fructose than sucrose.

Table sugar is pure sucrose. Lactose, known as milk sugar, imparts a slight sweetness to milk.

Sugar Is Not Essential for Humans

Despite being a very important energy source for us, sugar is NOT essential for our body. A human can survive and live a pretty healthy life without consuming even a pinch of sugar.

This is because our body possesses the ability to convert other macronutrients, i.e., non-sweet carbohydrates (found in bread, rice, and legumes), proteins (found in meat, eggs, milk, nuts, and beans), and fats (found in oils, butter, animal fat, and nuts/seeds), into sugar through a process called gluconeogenesis. This newly formed sugar is then utilized by the body for energy production.

Good Sugar vs. Bad Sugar

However, we rely on food not only for energy but also for various crucial bodily functions. Those nutrients which our body needs to sustain its healthy functioning, regardless of whether they produce energy, are called essential nutrients.

Among macronutrients (which are nutrients capable of providing energy), only some proteins and few fats are essential nutrients. All micronutrients (which include essential minerals and vitamins) are essential nutrients.

Among foods that contain sugar, table sugar contains no essential nutrient. But milk and fruits are rich in essential nutrients, like vitamin C in fruits and essential proteins and calcium in milk. Hence, it's evident that not all sugars are equal, as some sources, like fruits and milk, offer additional health benefits due to their nutrient content.

Scientifically, those foods that supply substantial calories (energy) but lack essential nutritional value are low-quality foods, and are classified under unhealthy foods. Therefore, table sugar is accordingly labelled as unhealthy, whose consumption must be limited.

A high intake of table sugar has been linked with elevated levels of body fat and an increased risk of many serious medical conditions, including diabetes and heart disease, as well as oral cavity.

Fruits and vegetables are considered healthy owing to the presence of many essential nutrients as well as dietary fiber, which is associated with effective weight management and a well-functioning digestive system. So, whole fruits and vegetables, not juice or syrups or fries, are high-quality foods.

Nutrition experts recommend eating 2 servings of whole fruit and 3-4 servings of whole vegetables everyday with the condition that you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to get the most out of this food group.

The same principle applies to milk, yogurt, and cheese as well. Despite being a source of lactose, a type of sugar, these items stand out as primary sources of dietary calcium and among the most renowned sources of essential proteins. It is recommended that adults include three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy in their diet to maintain healthy bones.

Recommendations for Maximum Intake of Sugar

These recommendations specifically pertain to added sugars, such as table sugar, honey, brown sugar, jaggery, juices, and high-fructose corn syrup. Sugars naturally occurring in whole fruits, whole vegetables, and dairy products fall outside the purview of these recommendations, as these foods are subject to separate guidelines discussed previously.

It is generally advised that healthy males should not consume more than 3 tablespoons of added sugar, and healthy females should aim to restrict their added sugar intake to a maximum of 2 tablespoons per day.

If you're dealing with a health issue, especially diabetes, you should avoid even this much sugar, or adhere to the specific guidance provided by your physician. This recommendation holds true especially in developed parts of the world, where food is plentiful and people frequently consume energy-dense but nutritionally deficient foods.

For those who want to lose weight or fat, they should entirely eliminate added sugar from their diet. It’s because they are already eating less, so they should focus on foods that are rich in essential nutrients, like whole grains, leafy veggies, lean protein, etc., while steering clear of low-quality foods, also called empty calories.

If that’s not the case and you are otherwise healthy with a healthy body mass index, it’s ok to enjoy a sweet treat as a pre-workout snack to give you an instant boost of energy for maximum performance in the intense workout session, like long-distance running and weightlifting with heavy weights. You can also eat some sweet immediately after the workout to refill the empty glycogen stores in the body for optimum muscle recovery.