A Dietitian's View

This would mean 125 grams or 31 tsp on a 2000 kcal diet, 94 grams or 23 tsp on a 1500 kcal diet or 75g or 19 tsp on a 1200 kcal diet. The USDA recommendation is to simply limit sugar calories and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans say to use sugar in moderation. So, what do you do? If you are worried about your blood sugar rising as a result of sugar intake, you really need to focus on the total carbohydrates in the foods you eat. All of those carbohydrates are going to make your blood sugars go up. So, it’s best to eat a consistent, controlled amount of total carbohydrates per meal. Your brain needs at least 130 grams of carbohydrates each day to function properly. High sugar foods are empty calories, meaning they have a lot of calories and very few, if any, nutrients. Instead of counting grams of anything, I think the best advice is to focus on whole grain carbohydrates and high fiber foods. These foods are more nutrient dense, as opposed to empty calories. Concentrated sweets like sodas, syrups and candies should be limited if you have high triglycerides or have diabetes. Choose more whole wheat breads, brown rice, whole wheat pastas and tortillas. Choose foods such as white breads, white rice, candy, jams and pastries rarely.