Sugar has become one of the most controversial foods in nutrition.
One person says you should avoid sugar completely. Another says sugar is perfectly fine. Then there are people who avoid fruit because they think its natural sugar is just as harmful as the sugar in soda.
So what’s actually true?
The answer is more nuanced than simply saying sugar is “good” or “bad.”
Sugar can be part of a healthy diet. The bigger concern is consuming too much added sugar, particularly when it regularly replaces more nutritious foods.
Understanding the difference between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar is one of the most important steps toward making better decisions about your diet.
When talking about sugar intake, it’s important to distinguish between total sugar and added sugar.
Total sugar includes both naturally occurring sugar and added sugar.
Naturally occurring sugar is found in foods such as:
Added sugar is sugar added to foods or drinks during processing or preparation.
Major health organizations recommend limiting added sugar rather than trying to eliminate all sugar from your diet.
For example, the American Heart Association recommends that most women consume no more than about 25 grams of added sugar per day, while most men consume no more than about 36 grams per day.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total daily calories.
These recommendations refer specifically to added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugar found in whole fruit or plain dairy foods.
This distinction causes a lot of confusion.
A banana contains sugar.
So does a can of soda.
But that doesn’t mean they’re nutritionally equivalent.
When you eat a whole banana, you’re also getting:
A sugary soda, on the other hand, provides a significant amount of added sugar without providing the same combination of nutrients and fiber.
Similarly, plain milk contains naturally occurring lactose along with protein, calcium, and other nutrients.
The presence of sugar on a nutrition label doesn’t automatically mean the food is unhealthy.
The overall food matters.
Not exactly.
Sugar isn’t a poison, and you don’t need to eliminate it completely to be healthy.
The bigger problem is consistently consuming large amounts of added sugar, especially from foods and drinks that don’t provide many other nutrients.
Think about your overall diet.
If most of your meals are built around nutritious foods and you occasionally enjoy a cookie, piece of chocolate, or dessert, there’s no reason to believe that one food automatically makes your diet unhealthy.
The problem occurs when highly processed, sugar-rich foods and drinks become a major part of your everyday diet.
Nutrition is about patterns, not perfection.
Consistently consuming too much added sugar can make it easier to consume more calories than your body needs.
This can happen because many sugary foods and beverages provide a lot of calories without being particularly filling.
For example, it’s relatively easy to drink a large amount of sugar through soda, sweetened coffee drinks, energy drinks, or other beverages without feeling as satisfied as you would after eating a meal containing protein, fiber, and whole foods.
Over time, regularly consuming excess calories can contribute to weight gain.
High intake of added sugar is also associated with a number of health concerns, particularly when it is part of an overall diet that is low in nutritious foods.
That’s why limiting added sugar can be useful—not because sugar itself is inherently toxic, but because too much of it can make a balanced diet more difficult to maintain.
Sugar doesn’t magically cause body fat to appear.
Weight gain occurs when you consistently consume more energy than your body uses.
Sugar-containing foods can contribute to that calorie surplus, especially when they’re easy to overconsume.
For example, drinking several sugary beverages every day can add hundreds of calories to your diet without making you feel particularly full.
But this doesn’t mean you have to eliminate sugar to lose weight.
Someone can successfully lose body fat while still eating some dessert, chocolate, or other foods containing sugar.
What matters most is your overall calorie intake, food quality, activity level, and consistency.
If your goal is losing body fat, you don’t necessarily need a zero-sugar diet.
Instead, focus on creating a sustainable calorie deficit while eating enough protein and nutrient-dense foods.
Reducing added sugar can sometimes make this easier because it frees up calories for foods that provide more protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
For example, replacing a large sugary snack with Greek yogurt and berries could give you more protein and fiber while still satisfying your desire for something sweet.
But there’s no need to fear every gram of sugar.
A small amount of sugar isn’t going to prevent fat loss if your overall diet supports your goal.
Fruit is one of the foods that gets unfairly criticized when people talk about sugar.
Yes, fruit contains sugar.
But whole fruit also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, water, and beneficial plant compounds.
The fiber and physical structure of whole fruit also make it very different from drinking a sugary beverage.
You don’t need to avoid fruit simply because it contains sugar.
For most people, whole fruit can be an excellent part of a balanced diet.
Fruit juice is different because much of the food’s structure and fiber can be reduced during processing, making it easier to consume a larger amount of sugar quickly.
That’s another reason why the form of the food matters.
One of the biggest challenges is that added sugar isn’t always obvious.
You might expect sugar in:
But added sugar can also appear in foods that seem healthy.
Some examples include:
This doesn’t mean these foods are automatically unhealthy.
It simply means checking the nutrition label can help you understand how much added sugar you’re actually consuming.
Nutrition labels can be confusing because you’ll often see both total sugars and added sugars.
Total sugars include naturally occurring sugar plus added sugar.
Added sugars specifically refer to sugars added during processing or preparation.
If you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake, the added sugar number is particularly useful.
Ingredients can also give you clues.
Added sugar can appear under many different names, including:
Different names don’t necessarily make one type of added sugar healthier than another.
Your body ultimately has to process the sugar regardless of what name appears on the package.
For most people, no.
Completely eliminating sugar can make your diet unnecessarily restrictive.
It can also make healthy eating feel much harder to maintain.
Instead, think about moderation.
If you enjoy dessert, have dessert.
If you like chocolate, you don’t necessarily need to eliminate chocolate.
If you occasionally add sugar to your coffee, that’s not automatically a problem.
The goal is to keep added sugar at a reasonable level while making nutritious foods the foundation of your diet.
A healthy diet should be something you can actually live with.
If you think you’re consuming more added sugar than you’d like, you don’t have to change everything overnight.
Try a few simple adjustments.
Try plain Greek yogurt instead of heavily sweetened varieties.
You can add fruit, cinnamon, or a small amount of honey yourself.
Drink More Water
Replacing sugary beverages with water, sparkling water, or unsweetened drinks can make a significant difference.
Compare Labels
If you’re choosing between two similar products, compare their added sugar content.
You may find that one has substantially less.
Use Fruit for Sweetness
Fruit can add natural sweetness to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, and other meals.
Don’t Keep Your Favorite Treats Completely Off-Limits
Ironically, making certain foods completely forbidden can make it harder for some people to maintain a balanced diet.
Allowing yourself to enjoy treats in moderation can make healthy eating more sustainable.
There is an important distinction here.
Your body does not require you to consume added sugar specifically.
You can eat very little added sugar and still have a completely healthy diet.
Your body can obtain glucose from carbohydrates found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
So you don’t need candy, soda, or desserts to provide your body with sugar.
The goal isn’t to consume a certain amount of added sugar.
The goal is to keep added sugar within a reasonable range while getting most of your nutrition from whole and minimally processed foods.
Artificial and low-calorie sweeteners are often brought into the sugar conversation.
These ingredients can help reduce added sugar and calories in certain foods and beverages.
However, whether you choose sugar, a low-calorie sweetener, or neither depends on your individual preferences and dietary needs.
You don’t need to use artificial sweeteners to eat healthy.
Likewise, you don’t necessarily need to avoid them simply because they’re not natural.
The most important thing is looking at your overall diet rather than focusing on one ingredient in isolation.
If you’re worried about sugar, don’t let the number become the only thing you think about.
A healthy diet should also provide enough:
For example, a day of eating might include eggs and fruit for breakfast, a chicken and vegetable bowl for lunch, Greek yogurt and berries as a snack, and fish, potatoes, and vegetables for dinner.
There could still be room for a piece of chocolate or dessert.
That’s what balance looks like.
So, how much sugar should you eat a day?
There isn’t one universal number of total sugar that everyone needs to stay below because naturally occurring sugar in nutritious foods is different from added sugar.
Instead, pay particular attention to your added sugar intake.
Current dietary guidance recommends keeping added sugar below 10% of daily calories, while the American Heart Association recommends approximately 25 grams per day for most women and 36 grams per day for most men.
But don’t let those numbers make you afraid of food.
Sugar isn’t the enemy.
Consistently consuming large amounts of added sugar while neglecting nutritious foods is the bigger concern.
You don’t need to eliminate sugar.
You don’t need to avoid fruit.
You don’t need to feel guilty for eating dessert.
Focus on the overall quality of your diet, keep added sugar reasonable, eat plenty of whole foods, and allow yourself some flexibility.
A healthy diet isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about what you do consistently.
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