Added Sugar Calculations for Healthy Food Bank Hub
Created by: Alison Kaufman, MS, RD, LDN
Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Boston
All sugar, whether natural or processed, is a type of simple carbohydrate that your body uses for
energy. Grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy foods all naturally contain carbohydrates and/or naturally
occurring sugars.1
"Added sugar" refers to sugars and syrups added to foods during processing. Desserts, sodas, and
energy and sports drinks are the top sources of added sugar for most Americans.1
The goal is to determine how much added sugar is in a recipe for the Healthy Food Bank Hub
vetting process. This involves the following steps:
1. Determine whether there is added sugar in any ingredients
2. Determine how much added sugar is present
3. Compare the amount of added sugar to the limit of less than 5% of calories
Sources of Added Sugar
If all grains, vegetables, fruit, or dairy are unsweetened then they do not contain any added sugar.
Ingredients to look for include: cane juice and cane syrup, corn sweeteners and high-fructose corn
syrup, fruit juice concentrate and nectars, honey, malt syrup, or molasses
Common foods with added sugar include: salad dressings, jam and jelly, ketchup, juice drinks,
flavored or sweetened drinks, canned fruit packed in syrup, flavored milk or yogurt, and breakfast
cereals (including most ready to eat cereals, flavored oatmeal, and granolas), baked goods, and
desserts.
Grams of Added Sugar per Teaspoon
How Much Added Sugar?
Refer to the grams of added sugar per teaspoon in
commonly found sweeteners to the right.
1 Teaspoon Sugar = 4 grams
1 Teaspoon Packed Brown Sugar or Maple
Syrup = 4.5 grams
Refer to the exchange lists for meal planning for:
1 Teaspoon Honey = 5.5 grams
sweetened versions of grains, vegetables, fruit, and
dairy. Using the standard serving sizes, subtract the
grams of naturally occurring carbohydrate from added sugars.
1
Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/added-sugar/my00845, accessed October 9, 2013
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved
Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
Food Group
Carb
(grams)
Calories
Grains - per 1 oz equivalent (28 grams dry weight or):
1 slice bread, ½ English muffin, ¼ bagel, ½ hamburger bun, ½ 6”
pita or 1 mini pita, ¾ cup dry cereal, ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or
cereal
15
80
Starchy (corn, peas, potato, plantain, sweet potato)
15
80
Non-starchy
5
25
15
60
12
12
12
90
120
150
0
0
0
0
35
55
75
100
Beans, peas and lentils, cooked, ¼ cup
Egg, 1 large
Seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), ½ oz or 2 Tbsp
Nuts, ½ oz
Nut butter, 1 Tbsp
10
0
2-4
2-4
3
50
80
90
90
100
Oils (teaspoons)
0
45
Vegetables – per ½ cup equivalent:
1 cup raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup cooked or raw vegetables, ½ cup
vegetable juice
Fruits – per ½ cup equivalent:
1 small piece, 1/8 cup dried, ½ cup fresh, frozen or canned, ½ cup
fruit juice
Dairy – per 1 cup equivalent:
8 oz milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1 ½ oz sliced or 1/3 cup shredded cheese
Skim or 1%
Low-fat 2%
Whole
Meat - per 1 oz equivalent:
Very lean meat
Lean meat
Medium-fat meat
High-fat meat
Non-Meat Alternatives – per 1 oz equivalent:
Use these conversions to compare measures in a recipe to exchange list measures:
1. Pounds of Produce to Cups
Vegetables: http://www.almanac.com/content/measuring-vegetables-recipes
Fruit: http://www.almanac.com/content/measuring-fruits-recipes
2. Recipe Ingredient Conversion Calculator: http://www.cooks.com/rec/convert/
Adapted from Boston University Sargent Choice Nutrition Center Exchange Lists for Meal Planning Handout Original sources: MyPyramid Food
Guidance System (www.mypyramid.gov) and American Diabetes Association/American Dietetic Association Guide to Exchanges for Meal Planning
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved
Food Label Example: Honey Nut O’s
From Food Label:
Serving Size: ¾ cup = 28 grams = 1 ounce
Calories 110
Total carbohydrate 22 grams
1. Calculate Grams from Added Sugar Per Serving
Formula
Total Carb in 1 Ounce
-15 Grams/Ounce
= Grams Added Sugar
Nutrition Facts
Label
(grams)
22 grams
-15 grams/ounce
= 7 grams added sugar
2. Calculate Calories from Added Sugar
Formula
Calories from Added
Sugar
Grams Added Sugar
7 grams
x 4 Calories/Gram
x 4 calories/gram
= Calories Added Sugar = 28 calories added
sugar
3. Calculate % Calories from Added Sugar
Formula
Calories Added Sugar
÷ Total Calories
= % Calories Added
Sugar
% Calories from
Added Sugar
28 calories added
sugar
÷ 110 calories
= 25% calories added
sugar
4. Does the Added Sugar Meet the Limit of Less than 5% Total Calories?
Are % calories from added sugar less than
5%? (if yes, approved; if no, not approved)
Is 25% less than 5%? No
So this food is not approved
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved
Recipe Example: Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt
Serves 8
Per Serving: Calories 137; Fat 1g; Protein 4g; Carbohydrate 32g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 63mg
3 limes (approximately, see above) for the zest and juice needed below.
Lime Yogurt:
2 cups non-fat vanilla yogurt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Fruit Salad:
1 large ripe honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks
1 pint strawberries, sliced (2 cups)
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tablespoons sugar
1. Are there sources of added sugar?
Yes:
Ingredient
Nonfat vanilla yogurt
Sugar
Amount in Recipe
2 cups
4 Tbsp
2. Calculate Grams from Added Sugar for Each Ingredient
Yogurt:
Formula
Total Carb in 1 Cup
-12 Grams/Cup
= Grams Added Sugar
Formula
Total Carb in 1 Cup
x Cups in Recipe
= Grams Added Sugar
Grams of Sugar in
Exchange List
Serving
33 grams
-12 grams/cup
= 21 grams added
sugar/cup
33 grams is from the food label
http://www.stonyfield.com/produc
ts/yogurt/smooth-creamy/fatfree/french-vanilla
Grams in Recipe
21 grams
x 2 cups
= 42 grams added
sugar in recipe
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved
Sugar:
Formula
Tbsp in recipe
x 3 Tsp/Tbsp
= tsp sugar in recipe
Teaspoons in Recipe
4 Tbsp
x 3 tsp/Tbsp
= 12 tsp
Formula
Tsp sugar in recipe
x 4 grams/tsp
= grams sugar in
recipe
Grams in Recipe
12 tsp
x 4 grams/tsp
48 grams sugar in
recipe
Total:
Formula
Ingredient a grams
+ Ingredient b grams
= total grams of added
sugar in recipe
Grams Total Added
Sugar in Recipe
42 grams
+ 48 grams
90 grams added sugar
in recipe
3. Calculate Calories from Added Sugar
Formula
Calories from Added
Sugar
Grams Added Sugar
90 grams
x 4 calories/gram
x 4 calories/gram
= Calories Added Sugar = 360 calories added
sugar
4. Calculate % Calories from Added Sugar
Formula
Calories per Serving
x Servings
= Total Calories in
Recipe
Total Calories in
Recipe
137 calories
x 8 servings
= 1096 total calories
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved
Formula
Calories Added Sugar
÷ Total Calories
= % Calories Added
Sugar
% Calories from
Added Sugar
360 calories added
sugar
÷ 1096 calories
= 33% calories added
sugar
5. Does the Added Sugar Meet the Limit of Less than 5% Total Calories?
Are % calories from added sugar less than
5%? (if yes, approved; if no, not approved)
Is 33% less than 5%? No
So this food is not approved
© 2012 JF&CS of Greater Boston All rights reserved