How Much Sugar Do You Eat?
May 29, 2009 by Michael Wayne
Filed under Diet And Nutrition, Health And Wellness, sugar
I’ve been talking about sugar and all its variations for the last two weeks, and pointing out that sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners are not good for health.
I’ve even pointed out that there are questions about stevia, the natural herbal sugar.
So now the question is: how much sugar do you eat?
I’m going to show it in pictures. In the following pictures, each sugar cube shown is 4 grams. The cubes are stacked, and the more sugar, the bigger the stack.
If, for example, the picture shows 10 sugar cubes, that means that eating that food is equal to eating 10 cubes of sugar.
A 12 oz. cup of McDonald's Oreo McFlurry contains 73 grams of sugar and 550 calories, of which 292 calories are from sugar
A medium size (21 oz.) helping of McDonalds Chocolate Shake contains 111 grams of sugar and 770 calories, of which 444 calories are from sugar
Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino, 16 oz. size with whipped cream contains 47 grams of sugar and 380 calories, of which 188 calories are from sugar
One 2.6 oz. bag of Skittles has 47 grams of sugar and contains 250 total calories, of which 188 calories are from sugar
Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia: one 1/2 cup serving has 21 grams of sugar and contains 240 calories, of which 84 calories are from sugar. A pint of Ben and Jerry's has 84 grams of sugar and contains 960 calories, of which 336 calories are from sugar.
1 regular size cup of TCBY Frozen Yogurt, French Vanilla has 40 grams of sugar and contains 275 calories, of which 160 calories are from sugar.
An 8 oz. cup of Arizona Lemon Ice Tea has 24 grams of sugar and contains 90 calories, of which 90 calories are from sugar. An entire 24 oz. can has 72 grams of sugar and contains 240 calories, of which 240 calories are from sugar.
A 12 oz can of Coca-cola has 39 grams of sugar and contains 140 calories, of which 140 calories are from sugar. A 20 oz. bottle has 65 grams of sugar and contains 240 calories, of which 240 calories are from sugar. A 1 liter (33.8 oz.) bottle has 108 grams of sugar and contains 400 calories, of which 400 are from sugar.
An 8 oz. cup of Sobe Mango Melon has 29 grams of sugar and contains 120 calories, of which 116 calories are from sugar. A 20 oz. bottle has 70 grams of sugar and contains 280 calories, of which 280 calories are from sugar.
1 Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll has 55 grams of sugar and contains 813 calories, of which 220 are from sugar.
An 8 oz. serving of Snapple Lemon Iced Tea has 23 grams of sugar and contains 100 calories, of which 92 calories are from sugar. A 16 oz. bottle has 46 grams of sugar and contains 200 calories, of which 184 are from sugar.
1 Clif Bar has 21 grams of sugar and 250 calories, of which 84 calories are from sugar
Thanks, been staying away from sugar but with the summer here I thought maybe a frozen yogurt once in a while would be ok..now I won’t be doing that. Great info. valerie
Great visuals with the sugar cubes!
I think it’s also important to point out that many processed foods that aren’t typically considered “sweet” have significant amounts of added sugars that most people are unaware of. An example is Campbell’s tomato soup, which contains 12g of sugar per serving in the form of high fructose corn syrup! It also contains 710 mg of sodium, but that’s more to be expected and another topic for discussion. Bottom line: I tell all of my clients, when something comes in a package or a can, you must read the label CAREFULLY.
Thanks, glad you like the visuals Carolyn. And you’re right about the sugars in processed foods – they’re nothing but trouble, with high fructose corn syrup being the worst. The U.S. has an epidemic of obesity going on, and if people do as you say and watch their sugar content, they will be a lot better off.
I’m not convinced that 1 sugar cube = 4 grams of sugar
isn’t 22 – 30 grams each ???
That’s a good question, so I looked up the answer at http://www.answers.com
This is what I got:
One sugar cube is equal to one teaspoon or 1/48th of a cup. (Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_quantity_of_sugar_is_in_a_cube)
There are 200g of sugar per cup. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar)
The math yields the answer: There are 4.17g of sugar per cube of sugar.
So in other words, one sugar cube does equal 4 grams of sugar.
Awesome! I need visuals to learn and so do my sons. Thank you so much. I was looking on here because my youngest son was asking what a gram looked like. The sugar cube visuals were very helpful.
Great, I’m glad that helped. Visuals are usually easier in helping to assimilate information, and the visuals of the sugar cubes help tell the story. Hopefully this will be helpful for you and your sons.
thanks for the knowledge although i already know… but 90% of america does not know that! you just helped save some lives.. hopefully!
You’re welcome. Hopefully I am not preaching to the choir with this article and the visuals.