WHO's 35 Gram Daily Sugar Limit: Foods Containing This Amount

Understanding Added Sugars and Their Health Impacts

In todays processed food landscape, added sugar hides everywhere from breads to sauces to snacks. This invisible ingredient silently piles up grams and calories leading to serious health conditions. But how much is too much when it comes to daily sugar intake?

Defining Added Sugars

Added sugars refer to all sweeteners mixed into foods or drinks during processing, preparation, or at the table. This includes everything from table sugar (sucrose) to syrups, honey, and fruit juice concentrates.

Added sugar differs from natural sugars found intrinsically in whole foods like fruits or dairy. The WHO strongly recommends limiting added sugar to less than 35 grams per day.

The 35 Gram Daily Sugar Limit

The WHO arrived at the 35 gram guideline based on evidence tying higher added sugar intakes to unhealthy weight gain and higher rates of noncommunicable diseases. On average, Americans eat a staggering 80 grams daily.

To put 35 grams into perspective, thats equal to about 9 teaspoons or 3 soda cans worth. It may sound surprisingly low for our culture of desserts and sweets.

6 Common Food Sources Packing 35 Grams of Sugar

Just a few everyday products easily deliver an entire days added sugar, making it tough to stay below healthier limits:

1. Soda

Sugary drinks like cola, lemon-lime sodas, root beer, and fruit punches remain leading sources. A 12-ounce can of your average soda contains 35-45 grams alone, surpassing advised daily limits.

2. Sweetened Coffee/Tea Beverages

Favorite franchised blended coffee or tea beverages also commonly top 30+ grams per serving after adding syrups, whipped creams, and sugary flavors.

For example, a 16oz Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha packs 50g added sugar. Even light flavors still contain around 35 grams.

3. Sweetened Yogurts

Sweetened yogurts, especially the fruit-on-the bottom varieties, deliver added sugar loads through their signature jam-like finishes. Just a single 6oz container can serve up 30-35g.

Low-fat yogurt does not mean lower sugar either. Always check nutrition labels when choosing yogurts.

4. Breakfast Cereals

Many pre-sweetened breakfast staples like frosted shredded wheat, cereal bars, and oat-based cereals carry 35g+ sugar in typical one cup servings.

Thats before adding additional sweeteners like honey, brown sugar, or fruit. Check cereals closely even if marketed as healthy.

5. Sweet Breads

Sweet bakery products offer temptation everywhere from the breakroom to food courts. Just one frosted doughnut, cinnamon bun, or slice of banana bread can pack 30-40g added sugar.

Even sandwich breads or tortillas now add high fructose corn syrup as a preservative contributing hidden sweetness.

6. Jarred Pasta Sauce

You might not think of pasta sauce as a sugary food. However premium brands add between 20-40g sugar per average half cup serving to offset acidity from tomatoes and balance flavors.

Opt for low-sugar marinara alternatives or make your own to avoid extra sweetness.

The Health Impacts of Excess Added Sugar Intake

Consuming added sugars far above the recommended thresholds impacts health in myriad ways:

Weight Gain

Added sugar delivers empty calories lacking proper nutrition yet still counting toward daily intake. This promotes overeating and obesity when consumed routinely.

Fatty Liver Disease

Excess fructose from added sweeteners also uniquely contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This condition disrupts normal liver function.

Type 2 Diabetes

Frequent and outsized blood sugar spikes from high added sugar foods can exhaust the pancreas insulin production over time, contributing to diabetes.

Heart Disease

The inflammation, cholesterol imbalance, hypertension, and obesity accompanying excessive refined sugar consumption significantly raise cardiovascular disease risks like heart attack and stroke.

Many doctors partly blame added sugar for declining heart health in modern societies.

Tooth Decay

Oral bacteria feed heavily on sugary compounds in the diet, producing erosive acids that destroy tooth enamel. Limiting added sugar helps protect tooth integrity and gum health.

Strategies for Cutting Back on Added Sugars

Trimming added sweeteners down to healthier levels takes conscious effort given their ubiquitous presence. Actionable ways to reduce daily consumption include:

Reading Ingredient Labels

Get in the routine of checking nutrition facts panels and ingredients lists so you understand exactly how much added sugar lives inside packaged foods.

Drinking More Water

Substituting plain or sparkling water for sugary sodas and juices eliminates a major source from most peoples diets. Infusing your own fruit or herbs adds flavor minus the added sweetness.

Buying Unsweetened Foods

Choose cereal, yogurt, nut butter and other items with no sugars or sweeteners listed among ingredients for easy reductions.

Skipping Desserts

Let go of daily indulgences in obvious sweets like cakes, cookies, and pies that pile on added sugar with little nutrition. Save just for special occasions.

Using Natural Sweeteners

When you crave sweetness, turn to modest amounts of maple syrup, honey, molasses or fruit purees instead. These provide sugars with antioxidant benefits absent from refined additives.

The Takeaway Monitoring Your Added Sugar Habits

Added sugars permeate the modern food environment, making it all too easy to greatly exceed advised daily limits like 35 grams. But through mindful label reading, substitutions, and moderation habits, managing intake proves very doable.

Not only will you feel energized from less blood sugar chaos, but your waistline, organs, heart and dental health stand to benefit too.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.