How Much Natural Sugar per Day Should you Eat? (Why It Matters)

Do you know how much natural sugar per day should you eat? I am sure you have been reading a lot about the benefits of eating more natural sugars.

You can find them in fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. They are also found in honey, maple syrup, molasses, and agave nectar. The best way to get your daily dose is by adding these foods into your diet!

Eating more natural sugars will help you to lose weight and give you energy throughout the day! It’s so important to eat healthy because it helps keep your body running smoothly.

If you want to stay healthy and fight against your sugar addiction, then be sure to add some of these foods into your diet today!

Keep reading for more information about how much natural sugar is safe to consume daily.

How much natural sugar per day Should you eat?

To maintain a healthy diet, we mustn't consume more than the recommended amount of sugar. In fact, 10% should be our maximum intake and below 5% for children under 12 years old. In addition, we shouldn’t eat 50-60 grams or 35-40 grams respectively due to these limits being set as maxima rather than minima (the minimum limit).

How much natural sugar you should eat in your diet depends on your weight, height, age, sex- you get the idea. One expert recommends avoiding refined sugars as much you want and sticking with fruits and veggies to keep you full of energy while limiting processed foods high in sugar.

Some experts recommend you avoid or limit processed foods, and you should eat all you want of fruit. You cannot overload your body with natural sugars because you will digest them normally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends you for healthy eating to consume products that are low in fat, high in fiber, and contain 0-5 grams of sugar per serving.

Does natural sugar count towards daily intake?

You might not have considered that natural sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables don’t count towards your daily intake. But, they can help fight blood sugar spikes because of their high fiber content!

If you want to stay healthy, you should eat whole fruit rather than drinking juice. However, you will still benefit from the fiber, and you won’t get as many empty calories as you would from a glass of juice.

Foods rich in natural sugar

Fruits

Some fruits are rich in natural sugars, so you can enjoy them as you work on your goals. One of the easiest ways to do this is to take a short break from your desk and grab a piece of fruit! Of course, you can also drink natural fruit juices.

Fruit juice is a delicious way of getting natural sugars. There are plenty of fruit juices you can try that you haven't heard of before!

You can also make your own fruit juice by blending the fruits you have at home. For example, try using apples to increase your intake of pectin, a type of soluble fiber which is great for lowering cholesterol levels and preventing heart disease!

Dried fruit

Dried fruit is rich in natural sugars, so you can eat them as you move closer to your goal! Running off to the vending machine for a bag of chips is not necessary anymore; you can enjoy some dried fruit as you work on your goals. The best part about dried fruit is that you don't need to worry about the sugar spike you get from eating a candy bar.

Whole wheat bread

Bread is a great way to cleanse your palate if you're tired of eating the same old thing for lunch. Try having whole wheat bread with your sandwich, and you'll be well on your way! Of course, you should try to avoid white bread as much as you can.

Raw nuts and seeds

Raw nuts and seeds are incredibly satisfying, and you can often find them in bulk at big superstores like Costco. Just make sure you don't eat an entire bag in one sitting! You'll be much better off watching your portions when you have the nuts as a snack instead.

Honey

Honey is a great replacement for sugar in your tea or coffee. However, it's best not to go overboard on honey; you don't want to gain too much weight! Also, you'll want to make sure you're using unfiltered, raw honey because you don't want to eat the processed stuff.

Raisins and dates

If you're looking for a snack that's easy to bring with you wherever you go, then raisins or dates are a great choice. Just be careful you don't eat too many of them in a single sitting.

Agave Nectar

The agave nectar is a great source of natural sugar you can use in your tea or coffee. It's great to sweeten your drink up a bit, but you'll want to be careful because you still don't want to eat too much of it!

Vegetables

You do not have to avoid natural sugars in your veggies. Eat the whole food, including skins, whenever you can. For example, some people get concerns about potato skins, but you can eat the skins of potatoes. The skin is a nutritious part of the whole food, and you will miss out on this nutrition if you peel your veggies.

Whole grains

Sprouted whole-grain bread or baked goods are preferable. Add seeds such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds for extra protein, and you'll be well on your way!

While you're still working toward your goals, lower natural sugar fruits you can eat include kiwifruit, papaya, watermelon, and honeydew.

Raw dairy

Milk is a great source of natural sugar and calcium you need for your bones which are important for avoiding osteoporosis later in life. However, you'll want to be careful you don't overdo it, or you can get too much calcium which can cause you to have problems with your kidneys.

Milk yogurt is a great way to keep getting the nutrients you need from milk while you're on your weight loss goals! Drinking whole milk is fine for most people because you're not overloading your body with saturated fats you can't handle. Just be careful you don't drink it too much, and you'll be fine!

Legumes

Sprouted legumes such as lentils are a great way to get some natural sugars in your diet. They're also full of fiber so that you can feel good about yourself! Just be careful you don't overdo it. You don't want to eat an entire bag of sprouted lentils.

How much sugar should you eat per day?

The average person consumes about 130 pounds of sugar each year, which equals about 3 cups per day. But you probably know that you don't have to eat refined sugar to get your sweet fix—sugar is also naturally present in many nutritious foods, like fruits and vegetables.

How you choose to obtain your sugar is a matter of personal preference. But I recommend you not to obtaining it from sugar-sweetened beverages.

The key to a healthy diet is moderation, so you should aim for about 150 grams of sugar per day. That's equivalent to 7 teaspoons or roughly 30g of free sugar, which you'll hear referred to as "added" sugar on food and beverage labels.

• Adults should not have more than 30g of sugar a day. Sugar cubes are about 1g each.
• Children between 7 and 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugar today. That is about 6 sugar cubes.
• Experts recommend that children aged 4 to 6 have no more than 19 grams of sugar in a day (about 5 cubes).
• There is no limit for children under the age of 4, but it's recommended that they avoid sugar-sweetened drinks. It is also recommended that they avoid foods with sugar added to it.

How much simple vs. complex sugar you should eat per day

Simple sugars are carbohydrates absorbed quickly by the body, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels (soft drinks, table sugar, etc.)

Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down, stimulating your bloodstream more gradually.

It would be best to eat mainly complex carbohydrates, and you only need a small number of simple sugars in your daily diet.

How much sugar you consume per day depends on your weight, height, activity level, and male or female.

There is a direct correlation between your body weight and your daily sugar intake. Therefore, the heavier you are, the more you should consume.

If you're very active, you can safely consume more than 150 grams of sugar per day. In fact, you may need 200-250g if you're an athlete or participate in intense exercise routines.

Should I avoid added sugar?

How much added sugar do we eat? You've heard that you should cut back on sugar, but you may not know just how much you should be eating. A 3-year study looked at the diets and weights of more than 18,000 Americans ages 19 to 64.

It found that people who ate lots of sugary drinks or processed food had 0.6 pounds more weight gain per year than those stuck with natural sugars like fruit.

On average, people eat about 144 calories of added sugars each day. These numbers might seem small, but it's important to keep them in check with a balanced diet!

Added sugar is much more than just an ingredient in most baked goods. This sugary substance can cause serious damage to the liver and other parts of your body if you consume it regularly without moderation.

Added sugar, also known as fructose or sucrose when combined with glucose, enters the digestive system, where it breaks down into its individual components.

A molecule that our bodies use for energy (glucose) and one that has no nutritional value instead causes all sorts of health problems (fructose).

Added sugars can come in various forms, including natural sugar and high fructose turbinado sugar, corn syrup, or coconut sugar.

Conclusion

The answer is different for everyone when it comes to how much natural sugar you should be consuming.

How your body metabolizes sugars depends on several factors, including weight and lifestyle habits like diet and exercise.

For example, if you’re someone who runs regularly or eats plenty of vegetables each day but still has trouble losing weight, then cutting out all-natural sugars may not be necessary.

On the other hand, if you have high blood pressure or diabetes, then limiting your intake might help keep those conditions in check. (Trusted Sources 1*, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*)

Medically reviewed and approved by Nataniel Josue M.D.