WHERE SUGAR RESIDES
USDA recommends limiting added sugars - from packaged foods and the sugar bowl - to 24 grams a day (6 teaspoons) if you eat 1,600 calories; 40 grams (10 teaspoons) for a 2,000-calorie diet; 56 grams (14 teaspoons) for a 2,400-calorie diet; and 72 grams (18 teaspoons) for a 2,800-calorie-diet.

Food with its' Average Added sugars

Where We Get Our Sugar:

Then and Now
In 1973, the per capita consumption of sugar and other highly refined sweeteners (such as high-fructose corn syrup) was 126 pounds a year. Today, it's 158 pounds - an increase of 26 percent. During the same time period, the percent of overweight Americans increased by nearly 20 percent.

Soda Overload
A single can of soda contains 12 teaspoons of added sugars. That's 120 percent of the USDA's recommended daily intake of sugar. Researchers have found that just two cans of soda can suppress immune function for up to five hours.

Originally published in Natural Health Magazine, 2000.