Weekend: How Much Sugar Are We Drinking?

By KAREN McDOUGALL

In 2016 the United States Department of Agriculture reported that supermarkets, grocery stores, and food/drug stores observed that people spent more money on soft drinks. Also, other sugar-sweetened beverages such as fruit juices, energy drinks, sweet tea and soft drinks accounted for 7 percent of Americans’ food budget.

According to beverage industry figures, soft-drink makers produce 10.4 billion gallons of regular soda every year. That’s enough to serve every American a 12-ounce can every day.

In 2013 the average American drank about 38 gallons of soda a year, which makes it about eight 12-ounce cans a week. How much sugar is in a typical 12-ounce can of soda? Nine teaspoons?

We can do the math, see how much sugar is in our soda and divide by four, with 4 grams equal to 1 teaspoon. So, if we are going to drink that 20-ounce bottle, we would be drinking 15.5 teaspoons of sugar. We would need to walk five miles or run for 50 minutes to burn off that bottle of soda.

The American Heart Association recommends a maximum daily intake of 6 teaspoons of added sugars for women and 9 teaspoons for men. The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans consume no more than 50 grams, or about 12 teaspoons, of added sugar per day for 2,000 calories per day.

Sugar-sweetened beverages add significant calories (mostly from added sugars) and provide very little nutrients. Research has shown that the body does not recognize calories consumed through drinks, so the calories taken in from beverages are usually in addition to what we eat each day in food.

When we drink our soda it gives us the energy we need right now, so we like what it does for us. We don’t think about experiencing a sugar crash in 40 to 60 minutes, which increases our fatigue and even causes mood swings.

Read the labels and figure out how many teaspoons of sugar you are drinking. Also, check to see how many servings are in your beverage bottle. Some have two or more servings. If that’s the case, you’ll need to double your sugar amount.

That has helped me realize that a 44-ounce fountain drink has 38 teaspoons of sugar. When I measure out 38 teaspoons of sugar, I look at it and think there is no way I would eat that much sugar at one time.

Take the challenge this summer and cut back on sugary drinks while increasing your water intake. Why not have a pitcher of refreshing water in your refrigerator from one of these recipes?

Minty Cucumber Lime

½ cucumber, sliced

½ lime, sliced

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Strawberry-Lemon with Basil

½ cup sliced strawberries

½ lemon, sliced

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Watermelon Mint

1 cup cubed watermelon

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

McDougall is the SNAP-Ed program assistant at the Ohio State University Extension of Hancock County.