The First Steps With Added Sugar
Added Sugar: the few things that matter most, and the mistakes that catch people out early.
Sugars and syrups added to foods and drinks during processing or preparation, including table sugar, honey and corn syrup.
Key takeaways
- Dietary Guidelines limit, age 2 and over: less than 10 percent of daily calories
- At 2,000 calories a day: under 50 g, about 12 teaspoons
- Most useful single change: Read the "Includes Added Sugars" line on the Nutrition Facts label.
- Commonest mistake: Reading "no added sugar" as meaning low in sugar; check the total sugars line too.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Why bother
Added sugars contribute calories without nutrients and are a major cause of tooth decay, and sugar-sweetened drinks are the largest single source in the American diet.
Start here
Begin here, with two things rather than ten.
- Read the "Includes Added Sugars" line on the Nutrition Facts label
- Treat sweetened drinks as the first target; they are the largest single source for many people
Then add these
After that, these.
- Swap flavored yogurt for plain with your own fruit
- Use %DV to compare products: 5% or less is low, 20% or more is high
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Dietary Guidelines limit, age 2 and over | less than 10 percent of daily calories |
| At 2,000 calories a day | under 50 g, about 12 teaspoons |
| AHA suggested limit | about 25 g for women, 36 g for men |
| Children under 2 | avoid added sugars entirely |
| A 12 fl oz (355 ml) can of regular cola | about 39 g |
| Daily Value on food labels | 50 g |
Common early mistakes
- Reading "no added sugar" as meaning low in sugar; check the total sugars line too
- Replacing sugar with large amounts of refined starch and assuming it is better
- Large servings of juice in place of whole fruit, especially for children
Related topics
- Snacking: What Published Guidance Supports (Healthy Recipes)
- Tooth Decay: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Oral Health)
- Reading the Nutrition Facts Label: What the Evidence Actually Says (Food Safety)
- Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Diabetes)
Where to go next
- Added Sugar: What the Evidence Actually Says
- What Added Sugar Is, and Why It Matters
- Added Sugar — the reference entry
- Nutrition: The Complete Guide
- Saturated Fat: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- What the Guidance Really Says About Fruit and Vegetables
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor if you are unusually thirsty, urinating much more than normal or losing weight without trying, which together can be signs of diabetes, and take carbohydrate advice from your own care team if you use insulin. Call 911 if someone with diabetes becomes confused, very drowsy or hard to wake.
Where this comes from
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
- American Heart Association — Added Sugars
- FDA — Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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