It’s official—the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, not subject to the same marketing and lobbying forces as the USDA (author of the current and flawed Dietary Pyramid), has suggested limiting intake of added sugar to just 10% of calories.
That means that the 17 teaspoons in a 20 ounce Coke or Pepsi, and the 11 teaspoons in a flashy but trashy fat-free FruLatte would, if you added a couple of Krispy Kremes to them, fill you up with allowable sugar for a day. And I think that’s a huge amount already!
The British Medical Journal reports that the National Soft Drink Association disagrees. “There is no association between sugar consumption and obesity. The opposite is true. People who have diets based on carbohydrates have a lower body mass index,” said Richard Adamson, a scientist working for the trade group.
Too much of anything will make you fat, but too much sugar adds only calories, not nutrients. Counting carbs works for some people, though not all carbs—or insulin sensitivities—are created equally. But counting sugar grams everyone can do, and should know how to do. See some of our recipes for diabetes for good, lower sugar choices.