Come on inâ¦the door is open! In Freeport and Stephenson County, youâll find that âwelcomeâ is more than just a word â itâs part of our lifestyle.
Currently, Western European adults consume an average of 101 grams of sugar per day, while in South America the figure rises to 130 grams. Sugar represents around 16-17% of an adultâs daily energy intake in the United Kingdom and Spain. In Portugal that rises to 25%. So Portuguese adults should be consuming 80% less sugar every day if they are to meet the WHOâs ultimate recommendation of 5% energy intake (25 grams) of sugar per day.
Too much sugar is bad for health, but how much is too much? The accepted guideline is that added sugars should not make up more than 10 percent of your total energy intake for the day, although, many nutritionists will recommend even less than this. How much is 10 percent? Well, in a 2000-calorie-a-day diet, 10 percent would be equal to about 50 grams, or 10 teaspoons of sugar. Unfortunately, most Americans consume 30 to 40 teaspoons or more of refined sugar per day. Most of this sugar comes from food products to which sugar has been added, such as soda, candy and baked goods. A can of soda alone can contain around 10 teaspoons of added sugar!