Is There A Daily Limit For Added Sugar?

The American Heart Association recommends that not more than half of your daily discretionary calorie allowance come from added sugars.

What’s Daily Discretionary Calorie Allowance?

Daily discretionary calorie allowance means the number of calories you have left to use after you meet your nutrient needs without exceeding your energy needs.

In other words, they are the calories that you can use up eating various foods after you’ve eaten enough to meet your body’s nutrition needs — but not so many that they would contribute to weight gain.

Not More Than Half

Discretionary calories can come from any source of calories (protein, fat, carbohydrates, alcohol).  The American Heart Association recommends that no more than half of your daily discretionary calories come from added sugars.

For most American women that’s no more than 100 calories a day, or about about 6 teaspoons of sugar.   For men, that’s no more than 150 calories a day, or about 9 teaspoons of sugar.