In today’s world of vending machines and fast food, we often just look at the calories on the labels to monitor what we are consuming. However, other details on labels are just as significant to our health.
The Recommended Daily Intake is 40 grams of added sugar a day. The average American consumes 180 pounds of sugar a year. This places an extraordinary demand on our bodily systems. Our bodies try to compensate by releasing excess insulin in response to high doses of sugar. This can lead to metabolic diseases, most specifically Type II diabetes.
Twenty million Americans suffer with Type 2 diabetes which can lead to heart attacks, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, blindness, and many more. The following display includes commonly consumed beverages and the quantity of sugar they contain.
Image credit to Live Well Omaha, Partners for a Healthy City
