Surprise! Your Sugar Consumption In Photos
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Most people are aware that over-consumption of any one thing has negative health consequences. Health professionals recommend consuming a wide variety of foods and drinks in moderation. Sugar is not evil, but should be consumed in small amounts, and preferably with meals.
These days sugar consumption has gotten out of control. As an oral health professional, I see the negative effects of this all the time, and it's often quite sad. There are many ways to reduce your risk for developing cavities:
- Decrease your sugar consumption
- Brush at least twice daily with a fluoride or xylitol toothpaste
- Floss once daily using the correct methods
- Swish with water after snacks, meals, and sugary drinks
- Use a straw, which will help the sugar bypass your teeth
- Chew sugar-free gum after snacks, meals, and drinks
- Limit sticky snacks like caramel, raisins, and dried fruits
- Consume sugary foods and beverages all at once rather than over long periods of time; each instance of sugar intake starts a new acid attack on your teeth that lasts 20-40 mins.
- Visit your dental hygienist and dentist regularly
The Deception Of Fruits
If I had to pick one food category that's promoted as a health food, I would instantly think of fruit. It's often pushed as the "healthy alternative" to sugary and high-fat snacks.
The truth of the matter, however, is that it's only healthy in moderation--like everything else!
Fruits contain essential vitamins that, in all honesty, are some of the easiest to acquire. Want your vitamin C for the day? Eat an entire serving of fruit and you'll likely get enough C to meet your body's needs.
Fruit is sugary. Yes, they're "natural" sugars, but what does that actually mean? Well, it means they're naturally full of sugar and it hasn't been added. Is that beneficial? Eating anything in its natural form is preferable and more healthy than something that's been produced or introduced in a factory. That said, be aware that though fruits are good in moderation, they contain a lot of sugar.
Watermelon
- 1 slice = 280g
- Sugar = 18g
- Fat = 0.33g
- Sodium = 3mg
- Protein = 0.38g
- Vitamin C = 31%
- Vitamin A = 26%
Grapes
- 1 bunch = 126g
- Sugar = 21g
- Fat = 0.24g
- Sodium = 4mg
- Protein = 1g
- Vitamin C = 27%
- Vitamin A = 2%
Orange
- 1 large = 270g
- Sugar = 23g
- Fat = 0.24g
- Sodium = 2mg
- Protein = 1.5g
- Vitamin C = 160%
- Vitamin A = 8%
Snack Foods
Nobody will make the claim that Snickers bars and chocolate chip cookies are "good" for you, but gosh are they delicious!
Again, the key here is moderation. A Snickers bar every day is a bit excessive; a Snickers bar a few times a day is going to do some damage to the pancreas, your insulin-producing gland. If the gland cannot keep up with demand, in simple terms, it can lead to an unhealthy situation and eventually diabetes.
There's no reason to remove sugary foods from the diet. Even oral health professionals eat sugar (it's good!) But I ask you to keep some of the following images in mind when you're consuming them; hopefully these images will help moderate your snack food consumption to a reasonable level.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Serving size = 3 cookies (34g)
- Sugar = 11g
- Calories = 160
- Fat = 8g
- Sodium = 105mg
- Protein = 2g
- Iron = 4%
Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Peanut Butter:
- Serving size = 2Tbsp. (32g)
- Sugar = 3g
- Calories = 190
- Fat = 16g
- Sodium = 147mg
- Protein = 8g
- Jelly / Jam:
- Serving size = 2Tbsp. (20g)
- Sugar = 13g
- Calories = 100
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 12mg
- Protein = 0g
Snickers Bar
- Serving size = 1 regular bar (57g)
- Sugar = 28g
- Calories = 266
- Fat = 11g
- Sodium = 130mg
- Protein = 5g
- Serving size = 1 king size bar (113g)
- Sugar = 56g
- Calories = 528
- Fat = 22g
- Sodium = 258mg
- Protein = 10g
Popular Beverages
Most of us enjoy drinking pop or fruit juices once in a while, or even daily. That's okay! As with anything, moderation is the key, and consuming a wide range of foods and drinks is beneficial.
Today sugary drinks are often consumed multiple times per day, potentially leading to mood swing disorders, hyperactivity in children and young adults, and rampant cavities.
Remember to swish with water after drinking any drinks other than water! This can save your teeth from a constant assault. Also, try to drink sugary drinks all at once, as quickly as possible. Each sip starts an acid attack on your teeth that lasts about 20 minutes!
Sugar + Bacteria + Acid = Tooth Decay
Red Bull "Energy" Drink
- Serving size = 1 can (255g)
- Sugar = 26g
- Calories = 115
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 214mg
- Protein = 1g
- Calcium = 3%
Orange Juice
- Serving size = 12oz. bottle
- Sugar = 29g
- Calories = 143
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 6mg
- Protein = 2g
- Vitamin C = 160%
Chocolate Shake
- Serving size = 21oz. medium
- Sugar = 112g
- Calories = 771
- Fat = 21g
- Sodium = 336mg
- Protein = 17g
- Calcium = 58%
Mountain Dew
- Serving size = 20oz.
- Sugar = 77g
- Calories = 282
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 118mg
- Protein = 0g
- Other nutrition = 0%
- Serving size = 1L
- Sugar = 123g
- Calories = 451
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 189mg
- Protein = 0g
- Other nutrition = 0%
Coke Classic
- Serving size = 12oz. can
- Sugar = 39g
- Calories = 140
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 45mg
- Protein = 0g
- Other nutrition = 0%
- Serving size = 20oz. bottle
- Sugar = 65g
- Calories = 240
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 75mg
- Protein = 0g
- Other nutrition = 0%
- Serving size = 1.25L
- Sugar = 135g
- Calories = 500
- Fat = 0g
- Sodium = 150mg
- Protein = 0g
- Other nutrition = 0%
Copyright © 2012 Faceless39. All rights reserved.
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A picture certainly is worth a thousand words in this case. What a great representation of how much sugar is in popular foods and drinks. I know I will now try to draw a mental image of the sugar cubes each time I eat something "junky" without giving it much thought. ~voted up, useful and very interesting~
You have just written a great hub to support ego.
Thanks a lot for your positive feedback, you guys! It's always appreciated. :)
And I'll be honest; I have no idea what this hub has to do with ego, but hey, as long as you got something out of it I don't care! Lol.
In addition to adverse effects on our teeth, sugar also affects our skin. Good article, ey!
very interesting hub. I am terrible about sugar in my coffee
This is a good one Faceless39. A Visual representation of the sugar content really brings it home. At the risk of bringing wrath down upon my head though I would say that the visual works for me because I don't relate to grams when it comes to the nutritional values on foodstuffs these days. For instance; the 20oz bottle of coke with 2.3 oz of sugar makes more sense to me than 65g and I probably wouldn't need the visual aid.
I suspect this may be true for older people and political dissidents who scan down the list of contents and say "the hell with it" and throw it in their basket anyway.
Awesome,thanks for the constructive feedback you guys!
(PS: I use xylitol in my coffee! Article on that up at the top. It's actually GOOD for your teeth, natural, and sweeter than sugar so you need less.) :)
You know, I'd thought about the gram vs. ounce thing and came to the conclusion that it would create lots of numbers like 28g = 0.987 ounces. We're dealing with really small numbers of ounces here. So I guess if you picture a sugar cube as being 4.2 grams, it'll hopefully help with the visualization. Thanks for the comment on that! :)
Great visual examples to help all of us realize what we are actually eating and drinking and how it might impact us. Good work.
Great way to show the sugar content. I'll be sharing this hub with a few of my clients!
This is great. I've shared it.
I don't think it's fully ingrained within us how addictive sugar can be to someone who over indulges. I brush my teeth after I eat anything. I just need to floss more. Thanks for the hub.
People don't realize how much sugar they are consuming. We are sugar addicts! Thanks for breaking this all down and reminding us about moderation and to be mindful of what we are eating.
No wonder I have a hard time loosing weight. 100% Juice is full of sugar. Maybe less then soda but still too much to count on loosing weight with. Thanks for the info. Smile!
Faceless39, What a clear, interesting, useful summary of sugar intake in its different amounts and forms! In particular, you make it easy for readers to compare how much of what to take because of your comparison lists of calories and nutrient (or non-nutient!) information alongside each symbolic photo.
Thank you for sharing, etc.,
Derdriu
Yup, unfortunately juice is full of sugar; it's not something that is widely known, but it sure is helpful to know when trying to lose weight!
Thank you everyone for your awesome comments! :)
We had a great pediatrician with a similar visual aid for sugar consumption that was very helpful. Good stuff here!
Happyboomernurse Level 8 Commenter 6 months ago
Very well done! Using the sugar cubes next to the food choices makes a very strong "statement". I also liked the suggestions for good oral care.
voted up, useful and interesting.