How much sugar is in your food?

“A leading cause of America’s obesity epidemic is the ubiquity of sugars in almost all the food we eat. The average American consumes over 30 teaspoons of sugar every day! These are divided among naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in milk, yogurt, or fruit, and those that are added, such as table sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

While naturally occurring sugars come in a package that includes plenty of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, added sugars carry absolutely no nutritional benefits.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that added sugars make up no more than 10% of a person’s calories, and ideally just 5%. If you consume 1800 calories a day, then only 180 should come from added sugars. Divide 180 by 4 to get 45 grams of added sugar per day. Divide by 4 to get 11 teaspoons of sugar at most per day. A single 12-ounce can of cola has 10 teaspoons of sugar!

Most people are clueless as to the amount of added sugars in their food. Have no fear, because Fooducate is here.

We are proud to announce the availability of a new iPhone* app we developed, called SUGAR RUSH.

The sugar rush app is dead simple to use. It opens up on a scanner screen. You point the scanner at a product barcode, and it auto-magically scans it. A second later, you’ll see an animated depiction of the amount of sugar in the product, separated into natural and added sugars. The scanning can be addictive, so use at your own risk! Kids love this app.

For those of you already familiar with the Fooducate app, Sugar Rush is a much simplified version, focusing solely on one “ingredient”, that has been dubbed “the new fat”. Download the Sugar Rush app, and let us know what you think!”

-Fooducate