How Much Sugar is in Your Favorite Treats?
What are your favorite desserts and sweets? Whether it’s ice cream or chocolate cake, sweets have been found to boost mood and overall emotional well-being.
“These kinds of cravings come from long-established patterns,” explains Susan Bowerman of UCLA’s Center for Human Nutrition. “Like memories from when we were kids and were soothed with cookies or rewarded for doing well with ice cream.”
On the other hand, you also have to be aware that these desserts have repercussions on your health. Enter: diabetes, weight problems, and obesity. Here’s a handy cheat sheet on how much sugar is in certain food items.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
This ice cream can make you give up that main dish and go straight to dessert. The sugar content may depend on the brand. For reference, Breyer’s mint chocolate chip ice cream has 17g of sugar per half-cup serving, while Baskin Robbins has 26g of sugar per serving.
Butterscotch Cake
Butterscotch is known for its intense sweetness. Mixing the flavor with cakes or ice cream is a good way to balance out the tastes. A serving has 35g of sugar.
Coca-Cola
Soda is the go-to drink for many. Coca-Cola is the leading soda brand globally. A 12-oz can of regular Coke has 39g of sugar, which is equivalent to around nine teaspoons of refined sugar. This is not listed in its ingredients, but you can see corn syrup, which is high in fructose, and is a “sugar alternative.”
Starbucks Iced Coffee
When you go to Starbucks, you’ll immediately recognize that iconic greeting from the barista welcoming you, but they will also emphasize the fact that many of their offerings are “sugar-free.” It has been clearly defined in our previous blog post what sugar-free really means, and while it is an acceptable term, food labeled as such may still contain sugar or sugar substitutes that are also artificial and unhealthy.
Your average Starbucks iced coffee has 20g of sugar in a 16 oz drink. So before you head over to choose whether Tall, Grande, or Venti, you might want to be aware of how much sugar you are consuming.
Breakfast Cereals
Cereals are parents’ go-to meals for their children before getting off to school when pressed for time. Marketing ploys reveal that they contain grains and fibers necessary to provide daily energy requirements for kids. Adults also love breakfast cereals. But how much sugar is in them?
Once again, the count depends on the brands. Some have as low as a teaspoon of sugar to as high as eight teaspoons. For instance, Corn Flakes has about two teaspoons of sugar, while Cookie Crisp has seven.
Go and Get that Dessert!Taking note of the information listed above, how much sugar is allowed and is acceptable to maintain good health? The American Heart Association states that the maximum amount of added sugar in the diet ranges up to 150 calories daily for men and 100 calories for women. These respectively amount to nine and six teaspoons.
Abstaining from desserts might churn out guilt, and it has always been said that sugar is still part of your daily nutrient intake. There are alternative sweeteners in the market that you can use to make these recipes. They are made with stevia and are healthier compared to common sugar. For example, using these sweeteners instead of the packets served in your favorite coffee chain will help lessen your risks to sugar-induced illnesses.
NatriSweet is the best-tasting zero-calorie, zero-carb, non-glycemic response inducing natural sweetener available in the market today. Its uses are endless. Whether you want to bake something delicious or add mouth-watering sweetness to all of your favorite recipes, pastries, desserts, and beverages, NatriSweet is a great way to go.
References:
https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/view/butterscotch-iced-golden-cake,121140/