There is no escaping the sweet dangers of sugar!

Sugar has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to your health. Did you know that sugar comes naturally in foods containing carbohydrates, like fruits, cereals, pulses, and vegetables? Well, they do and there is no escaping it. Sugars associated with foods constantly supply your body with the energy it needs while your body steadily digests the food you eat.

Problems occur when you eat too much-processed sugar, i.e, sugar that manufacturers put in foods to increase their shelf life and enhance the flavor! Foods containing too much-processed sugar have a great impact on diabetes, obesity, and overall heart and kidney health.

You must be wondering by now- How much sugar is the right amount of sugar?

It's hard to say since sugar is not a required nutrient in your diet. However, the American Heart Association suggests that an adult can consume no more than 150 calories, about 9 teaspoons (or 36 grams) of added sugar per day.

If you are someone who has a constant sweet tooth, here are some alternatives of sugar that you can consume:

• brown sugar
• jaggery
• corn sweetener
• fruit juice concentrates
• honey
• Stevia/erythritol
• Maple syrup

Nonetheless, you need to keep track of how much-added sugar you are consuming each day. How can you do that? Well, you can always check the nutrition label of foods that you are consuming. That should give you a fair idea of how much sugar you are consuming per serving.

But, don't forget to take into account the amount of sugar you add to your beverages too because about half of the added sugar you consume daily comes from beverages, including aerated drinks, coffee, and tea!