Most people love sugar. Sugar makes our food yummy and taste buds happy. Eating sugar is not inherently bad, but just like any other food, if it is eaten in excess it can cause you to miss out on other important nutrients that your body needs.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars make up no more than 10% of a teenager’s total calorie intake each day, or around 50 grams. The American Heart Association recommends only 6 teaspoons or 25 grams of sugar for teenagers each day.
This does not include natural sugars found in foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy. These foods provide essential nutrients for the body like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Most of your carbohydrate intake should come from these sources, rather than from added sugars.
Read on for more information about how much sugar teenagers should be eating, what happens if you eat too much sugar, how to decrease sugar cravings, and ways to make substitutions for lower sugar foods.
Sugar Recommendations for Teenagers
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 10% of your total daily calories be from added sugars. If that sounds a bit confusing, let me break it down.
If a teenager needs about 2,000 calories a day, 10% of that would be 200 calories from added sugars. On the nutrition facts label, sugar is given in grams, so how do you figure out how many grams of sugar 200 calories is?
It just takes a little bit of math. There are about 4 calories in one gram of sugar, so if you divide 200 calories by 4, that will leave you with 50 grams of added sugar per day. There are 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon so that equals about 12 teaspoons per day.
For most teenagers, 10% of daily calorie needs will be between 40-70 grams of added sugars or less per day.
A more strict recommendation comes from the American Heart Association, recommending no more than 6-9 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Most Americans get about 22 teaspoons of sugar per day (and teenagers sometimes get a lot more!), there is a lot of room for improvement in all of our diets.
If all of those numbers feel overwhelming, remember that the most important thing is to focus on adding in nutrient dense food in your diet. If you are getting enough of the necessary food groups, your daily sugar intake will likely naturally fall into the appropriate range.
What Foods Contain Sugar?
Did you know that most of the foods you eat contain sugar? Sugar is a carbohydrate and your body loves carbohydrates. They provide energy to all the cells in your body. Natural sugar is not bad for you, it’s the added, refined sugars that you need to look out for.
Natural sugars are found in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and whole grains. Natural sugars do not need to be restricted. These foods also contain tons of good nutrients that are important for overall health, growth, and development. If someone tells you they don’t eat fruit because it has too much sugar, remind them that their body needs sugar and all the benefits of fruit.
On the other hand, added sugar does not bring with it any additional nutrition other than being a carbohydrate and fuel for the body. Teenagers should aim to get most of their carbohydrates from the natural sugars found in nutrient packed foods rather than foods, drinks, and treats with tons of extra sweetness packed in.
The nutrition facts label shows you exactly how much added sugar is in a food or drink. It even separates it out from the number of total carbohydrates! Added sugar can be in the form of high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, white table sugar, molasses, honey, and many others!
Here are some examples of how much sugar is in some foods and drinks! That doesn’t mean you have to avoid them entirely, but be sure to focus on getting enough nutrient dense foods too.
| Food/Beverage | Sugar Content |
| Dr. Pepper (12 oz) | 39 grams |
| Snickers Bar (Regular size) | 27 grams |
| Cinnamon Toast Crunch (¾ cup) | 9 grams |
| BBQ sauce (2 tbsp) | 11 grams |
| Flavored Yogurt (6 oz) | 17 grams |
| Chewy Granola Bar (1 bar) | 7 grams |
| Sunny D Orange Juice (8 oz) | 12 grams |
What Happens if You Eat Too Much Sugar as a Teenager?
There is no reason to freak out if you occasionally eat more than the recommended amount of sugar. Remember that your overall health does not suddenly get ruined in one day!
Consistently eating too much sugar as a teenager could lead to your body missing out on other important nutrients. Maybe you have experienced something like this: If you have a cookie and soda right before dinner, you might not be hungry enough to eat your protein and veggies, which contain necessary nutrients for your body.
If this high sugar pattern of eating continues for a long time, that is when your body might really miss those important nutrients. Teenagers that eat too much sugar regularly and are not getting enough nutrition from other sources might feel lethargic, have trouble concentrating, have stunted growth and development, and more!
Am I Addicted to Sugar?
If you feel like your body is constantly craving sugary foods and beverages, it doesn’t mean you are addicted to sugar. Many teens mistakenly think that if they are constantly craving sugary things and eating them, it is because they just don’t have enough will-power. That is not true!
Remember that your body needs sugar. Sugar is in most of the food you eat. Carbohydrates get broken down into sugars in the body to be used for energy. If you seem to be craving sugar frequently, it might be your body’s way of responding to something else that is going on.
If you crave sugar often, there are a few things that might help.
- Evaluate your sleep. If you are constantly feeling tired, your body could try and compensate by craving high sugar (high energy) foods.
- Are you eating enough? If your body is not getting enough fuel, this can also lead to sugar cravings.
- Are you eating enough carbohydrates? Remember that carbs are your body’s main energy source. You need carbohydrates every day. If you are depriving your body of carbohydrates, your body will naturally crave them.
- Deal with stress and negative emotions. Emotional eating often draws us to sugary foods because they temporarily make us feel better. Getting help from a therapist, meditating, and exercise can help relieve some of that intense emotional hunger.
- Make sure you aren’t eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates for breakfast or early in the day. This can cause a spike and a later crash in your blood sugar, which can lead to unhealthy cravings, fatigue, irritability, etc.
Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for Teenagers?
Artificial sweeteners are commonly used in place of actual sugar in food and drink products. If you see something labeled “sugar-free,” it likely is still using artificial sweeteners. The most common forms are aspartame, neotame, saccharine, sucralose, advantame, and acesulfame-K.
It takes much less of an artificial sweetener to provide the same sweet taste as sugar, so using artificial sugars usually makes those products lower in calories.
There has been some debate about the health and safety of artificial sweeteners. Maybe you have even heard that sugar makes kids hyperactive!
Research has shown that artificial sweeteners are safe when consumed in appropriate levels, and there is no proven scientific connection between sugar and hyperactivity. Still, foods containing artificial sweeteners aren’t typically much healthier than the sugar-containing foods.
Just like real sugar should be eaten in moderation, so should artificial sweeteners. Remember that just because something is low-sugar or low-calorie does not mean it is healthy.
Some artificial sweeteners have an interesting after-taste and are less desirable than real sugar. Additionally, some people are more sensitive to artificial sweeteners than others.
If you notice bloating or discomfort after consuming artificial sweeteners, it might be worth choosing products with real sugar instead or a more natural sugar substitute. Stevia and Monk Fruit are ones to look for that might be good options for you.
See my post: Are Artificial Sweeteners a Good Idea For Kids? Why Sugar-Free Isn’t Always Best
Simple Sugar Swaps
If you are looking for ways to decrease your daily added sugar intake, the first thing I would suggest is to focus more on what you can ADD rather than on what you REMOVE. That might mean focusing on getting in five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, or eating more whole grains, or eating lean protein with every meal and snack.
Here are some simple sugar swaps you can make to also decrease your daily added sugar intake:
- Include fruit in smoothies, on desserts, in yogurt, on oatmeal, and other foods to add sweetness without tons of added sugars. This also provides additional nutrients!
- Try lemon and lime juice to sweeten and give flavor to foods and drinks.
- Herbs and spices can give flavor to many foods without having to add sugar.
- Flavor your water in natural ways, with cucumbers, mint, lemons, limes, strawberries, or other foods!
- Choose foods that have a natural sweetness for cooking and baking so that not much else needs to be added for flavor.
Summary
Sugar often gets demonized, but it is not something to be afraid of. Your body relies on natural sugars for energy. If you feel like you are constantly having strong sugar cravings, try to figure out what your body might be telling you it needs. Does it need more nutrients, more food, more carbs, more sleep, or something else?
Rather than feeling like you have to cut out all added sugars and remove a bunch of your favorite foods from your diet, think about all of the delicious nutrient dense foods that you can add to your eating routine. When you are consistently eating foods that make you feel your best, your intake of added sugar will likely be appropriate for you!
Resources
Ansel K. Are artificial sweeteners safe for kids? Eatright.org. Published April 8, 2021.
Ansel K. Sugar: does it really cause hyperactivity? Eatright.org. Published September 21, 2020.
Cording J. Looking to reduce your family’s intake of added sugars? Here’s how. Eatright.org. Published September 9, 2020.
Klemm S. Sugar substitutes: how much is too much? Eatright.org. Published December 11, 2018.
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