Sugar, Sugar
By Daniel T. Daly DC, CACCP
Missouri Baptist Medical Center recently had a “health fair” of sorts with much information for the family ranging from heart health facts to a bicycle helmet fitting station staffed by nurses from the pediatric unit of Children’s Hospital. There was also a booth that showed parents the amount of added sugar in many of the beverages that their family might consume. Below is a brief list of some of the most common beverages and the amount of refined sugar contained in teaspoons.
16 oz pure water No added sugar
6.75 oz 100% fruit juice No added sugar
8 oz chocolate milk 5 teaspoons
20 oz Gatorade 9 teaspoons
12 oz orange soda 11 teaspoons
20 oz Sprite 14 teaspoons
17 oz lemonade 14.5 teaspoons
20 oz Mountain Dew 16.5 teaspoons
20 oz Pepsi 17 teaspoons
1 teaspoon of sugar = 1 sugar cube = 1 Domino sugar packet = 4 grams of sugar = 16 calories
It may be hard to visualize the what these numbers really mean. Sugar Stacks will help you see how much sugar is really dissolved in the foods and beverages you might be giving to your family.
Refined sugar, especially in large doses, puts a large stress on the body. This video presentation by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology is quite eye-opening with regard to the impact of sugar on the human body. He speaks about the detrimental effect fructose has on body physiology. It is a rather long presentation, but the perspective is well worth the time.
This entry was cross posted on Daniel’s site with his permission.
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