Sugars that are added during food processing are found in cakes, candies, cookies, pastries, pie, ice cream, regular carbonated and fruit drinks, as well as energy and sports drinks.

Sugar occurs naturally in healthy foods such as dairy products, fruits,100% fruit and vegetable juices and vegetables—and are not usually sources of added sugars.

The Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to include the amount of added sugar on food labels and packaging. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day. That’s 200 calories—about 12 teaspoons—in a 2,000 calorie diet.

To calculate how many teaspoons of sugar a product contains, divide the total grams of added sugar by four. For example, if a product contains 16 grams of sugar, that is equivalent to 4 teaspoons of sugar.