Recommendations regarding added sugars

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that means no more than 200 calories a day should come from added sugars. That's about 12 teaspoons (48 grams) of sugar.

The American Heart Association suggests a stricter limit for added sugars — no more than 100 calories from added sugar a day for most women and no more than 150 calories from added sugar a day for most men. That's about 6 teaspoons (24 grams) of sugar for women and 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of sugar for men.

To put these numbers into perspective, 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar has about 16 calories. A 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories — about 10 teaspoons (40 grams) of sugar.