Sugar, Sugar, Sugar

Posted by AMelane in drinks, nutrition, wellness

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Sugar, Sugar, Sugar…

Today I had my first “regular” soda in a long time. After not eating any sweetened foods for over a month, it was like that first drink to a recovering alcoholic, I couldn’t get enough of it… and then I crashed 15 minutes later. I was sitting at my desk staring at the wall

This led me to really understand the effect that sugar has on our body. Most food has carbohydrates in them, and our body NEEDS carbohydrates to survive. They provide the fuel needed to sustain all bodily functions. Yet all sugar isn’t the same. There are complex carbs and refined carbs. The refined carbohydrates are white sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and added sugars in many processed foods. These carbs are easily digested, so they are released into the bloodstream quickly, but once they’re gone, they’re gone. Unlike complex carbs like whole grain and oatmeal that make our body work to digest them, so the sugar that is in them is released slowly, keeping your blood sugar regulated and not causing the crash effect that refined sugars cause.
Many of us who try to stay away from refined carbs in our foods still may be getting them in your drinks during the day….
Our recommended daily intake of these refined sugars is 40g. Look at the list below of some common drinks, and see if you are going over this during your day…


A-Coke: 20 ounces 65 grams of Carbohydrate, 13 Teaspoons
B- McDonald’s Sweet Tea: 32 ounces 59 grams of Carbohydrate, 12 Teaspoons
C- Gatorade: 12 ounces 22 grams of Carbohydrate, 4 ½ Teaspoons
D- Welch’s 100% Grape Juice: 10 ounces 53 grams of carbohydrate, 11 Teaspoons
E- Starbuck’s Tall Nonfat Caramel Macciato: 12 ounces 25 grams of Carbohydrates, 5 teaspoons
1 teaspoon = ~5 grams
Recommended daily intake of added sugar is 40 grams or 8 teaspoons based on a 2000 calorie per day diet