Many experts tout sugar as public health enemy number one. Considering eating too much of it can lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes, the title does make sense. Also because most people overconsume it.
The American Heart Association recommends that women eat no more than six teaspoons of added sugar a day and men no more than nine. “Added” means any sweetness that doesn’t occur naturally in food and includes ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and honey.
Sadly, the typical American tends to throw back a whopping 20 teaspoons a day.
The good news: You do need sugar, especially if you’re active and particularly from whole foods, like fruit and oats. (Yes, even oats contain some sweetness.)
“Sugars are an important energy source for athletes because in their simplest form, they are carbohydrates — the body and brain’s main fuel source,” says Kim Larson, RDN, CSSD, a sports dietician and media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.