Sugar
Sugars are the sweet carbohydrates in food, from the fructose in fruit to the lactose in milk and the sucrose in a spoon of table sugar. The WHO advises keeping free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally 25 g.
Free sugars under 10% of calories
50 g a day at most on 2,000 kcal, or 25 g under 5% for further benefit (WHO)
EU label reference · 90 g of total sugars, natural ones included
- Most per 100 g 99.8g Sugar
- Most per portion 37g 1 can cola
- Not free sugar Whole fruit, milk and vegetables
- Energy 4kcal/g with no other nutrients
Daily limit: the WHO guideline on sugars intake (2015). Food figures are total sugars per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central; per portion, only for foods with a Caltide calorie page.
Foods High in Sugar
Ranked per 100 g, with what a usual portion gives, limited to 3 foods per category. Foods with a Caltide calorie page link to it.
S
Sugar
12 g in 1 tablespoon
Nutrition facts
99.8g / 100 g
I
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
97.8g / 100 g
B
Brown sugar
13 g in 1 tablespoon
97g / 100 g
R
Raisins
Nutrition facts
65.2g / 100 g
D
Dates
Nutrition facts
63.3g / 100 g
C
Currants
62.3g / 100 g
M
Milk chocolate
10 g in 2 squares
Nutrition facts
51.5g / 100 g
C
Coconut cream
15 g in 1 fl oz
51.5g / 100 g
D
Dark chocolate
9.2 g in 2 squares
Nutrition facts
46.1g / 100 g
S
Sun-dried tomatoes
21 g in 1 cup
37.6g / 100 g
C
Coconut flakes
31 g in 1 cup
36.8g / 100 g
A
Almond paste
82 g in 1 cup
36.2g / 100 g
Per 100 g vs. a Usual Portion
Why the food that ranks first per 100 g can give less in a real serving.
| Food | Usual portion | Per 100 g | Per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cola | 1 can (355 g) | 10.4g | 37g |
| Orange juice | 1 glass (250 g) | 8.6g | 21g |
| Orange | 1 medium (154 g) | 9g | 14g |
| Banana | 1 medium (120 g) | 15.8g | 19g |
| Granola | 1/2 cup (55 g) | 22.2g | 12g |
| Milk chocolate | 2 squares (20 g) | 51.5g | 10g |
A glass of orange juice has more sugar than the whole orange in the row below it, and all of the juice's sugar is free sugar; none of the orange's is.
What Is Sugar?
Sugars are the smallest carbohydrates: single units such as glucose and fructose, and pairs such as sucrose (table sugar, one glucose and one fructose), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose. Digestion splits the pairs, and the body absorbs the single sugars into the blood.
What the Body Does With Sugar
Glucose goes straight into the blood and is used by every cell, with insulin moving it out of the blood into muscle, liver and fat tissue. Fructose is handled mostly by the liver, which turns it into glucose, glycogen or, in large amounts, fat. The body needs glucose, but it can make all it needs from starch, so no amount of free sugar is required.
Total Sugars vs. Free Sugars
Nutrition tables, including ours, list total sugars, the sum of all of them. The WHO limit is for free sugars only: sugar added by a maker, a cook or you, plus the sugar in honey, syrups and fruit juice. The reason for the split is how it is eaten. Sugar inside whole fruit comes with fiber and takes time to chew; sugar in a drink arrives in seconds and adds calories without filling you up.
How Much Sugar a Day of Ordinary Meals Gives
An ordinary day from our library, in usual portions, with fruit, milk, a glass of juice and two squares of chocolate.
| Meal | Food | Amount | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Oats | 40g | 0.4g |
| Breakfast | Banana | 120g | 19g |
| Breakfast | Milk | 250g | 12g |
| Breakfast | Orange juice | 250g | 21g |
| Lunch | Bread | 50g | 2.7g |
| Snack | Apple | 165g | 20g |
| Dinner | Pasta | 140g | 0.78g |
| Dinner | Tomatoes | 123g | 3.2g |
| Treat | Milk chocolate | 20g | 10g |
| Total | 89g |
The day's total sugars come to 89 g, close to the 90 g EU label reference. Yet the juice and the chocolate together give 31 g, nearly all of the day's free sugar, which keeps it under the WHO limit of 50 g. The banana, apple and milk carry most of the rest, and none of their sugar counts toward that limit.
Why There Is a Sugar Limit
The WHO bases its advice on two outcomes. Tooth decay rises with free sugar intake, even at levels under 10% of calories, which is why under 5% is suggested for further benefit, a conditional recommendation based on weaker evidence. Body weight rises when free sugars add calories, and the evidence is clearest for sugary drinks.
Common Sugar Mistakes
Counting fruit against the limit. A small apple's 20 g of sugar is not free sugar. The same apple pressed into juice is.
Swapping sugar for honey or syrup. Honey, maple syrup, agave and coconut sugar are all free sugars, gram for gram the same as table sugar for the limit.
Judging a product by the sugars line alone. On a fruit yogurt the sugars line mixes milk sugar, fruit sugar and added sugar in one number. The ingredient list, in order of weight, shows whether sugar was added and how high it ranks.
How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
The limit is a share of calories, so it is smaller for smaller eaters, children included.
| Calories a day | Under 10% | Under 5% |
|---|---|---|
| 1,600 kcal | 40g | 20g |
| 2,000 kcal | 50g | 25g |
| 2,500 kcal | 62g | 31g |
Other Names for Sugar
Ingredient lists use dozens of names. All of these count as free sugars.
Sugar on Ingredient Lists
Sucrose, glucose (dextrose), fructose, maltose, glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, molasses, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, rice syrup and fruit juice concentrate.
Sugar in Supplements
Gummy vitamins, flavored protein powders and some fiber drink mixes contain added sugar; the label lists the grams. Sugar-free versions use sweeteners or sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and xylitol, which are not counted as sugars and can loosen stools in large amounts.
Tracking Sugar in Caltide
- Logged automaticallyCaltide adds up the total sugars in every food you log and shows them in the Nutrition tab.
- Added sugars against a ceilingWhen a food lists added sugars, Caltide counts them against a ceiling of 10% of your calorie target, the same share the WHO sets for free sugars.
Sugar Sources and References
The figures and claims on this page are checked against these sources. Food amounts come from USDA FoodData Central.
Questions About Sugar
The WHO advises keeping free sugars under 10% of calories, about 50 g on a 2,000 kcal diet, and ideally under 5%, about 25 g. The EU label reference for total sugars, natural ones included, is 90 g.
In our food library, sugar: 99.8 g per 100 g. Icing sugar (powdered sugar) (97.8 g) and Brown sugar (97 g) come next. Per usual portion, sweet drinks often give more than any of them.
The WHO term for sugars added to food and drinks by makers, cooks or you, plus the sugar naturally in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Sugar inside whole fruit, vegetables and milk is not free sugar.
Cola has 10.4 g of sugar per 100 g, so a 355 ml can holds about 37 g, three quarters of the WHO limit of 50 g of free sugars.
No. The WHO limit does not apply to sugar in whole fruit, which comes with fiber and water and is eaten more slowly. Juice is different: its sugar counts as free sugar.
Not in any way that matters for the limit. Honey is mostly glucose and fructose, and the WHO counts it as free sugar, the same as table sugar.
That is lactose, the sugar naturally in milk. Plain Greek yogurt has 3.2 g per 100 g; it is not added sugar and does not count toward the WHO limit.
Mouth bacteria ferment sugar into acid that dissolves tooth enamel. Tooth decay is one of the two main reasons for the WHO limit, together with weight gain.
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