While some treats are obvious sweet bombs, other foods may surprise you with their added sugar content.

Getty Images

Quiz: Are You Eating Too Much Sugar?

Test your knowledge of the latest health news on the sweet stuff

Stacey Colino

En español

Published March 16, 2018

8 Questions

4c34589a-2d42-432c-9c78-031ea818bdd7

Quiz: Are You Eating Too Much Sugar?

[ {
  "question" : "These days, sugar seems to be in just about everything we eat. Which of the following foods should you limit your consumption of, for that very reason?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Fruits and vegetables",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Cereals and crackers",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Milk and plain yogurt ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Most cereals and many crackers contain added sugar, which is devoid of nutritional value and therefore what you want to limit. You don’t need to worry about the sugar in fruits, vegetables and unsweetened dairy products; it’s present naturally and accompanied by vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "When it comes to weight control, the real problem with eating lots of sugary foods is:",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Sugar contains empty calories — 16 per teaspoon — but no nutrients.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Consuming excessive amounts of added sugar promotes the storage of body fat.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Added sugar stimulates your appetite and overrides your natural satiety signals.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Eating lots of foods with added sugar has all of these effects — and consuming processed sugar causes a major rush of dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter), which makes you want to keep eating more of the sweet stuff to maintain that sugar high.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How much sugar does the average adult in the U.S. consume per day?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "12 teaspoons of added sugars",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "17 teaspoons of added sugars",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "22 teaspoons of added sugars",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "27 teaspoons of added sugars",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "That’s right — 22 teaspoons per day, which adds up to 352 calories from sugar alone (and doesn't include the type of sugars found naturally in things like fruit.)",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "An excessive intake of added sugars has long been known to contribute to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Which of the following can it also contribute to:",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "High blood pressure",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Cholesterol abnormalities",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Chronic inflammation",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Consuming too much sugar can bring on every one of these conditions, all of which happen to be risk factors for developing heart disease. In fact, a study in the April 2014 issue of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that adults who got 17 to 21 percent of their daily calories from added sugar had a 38 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who consumed 8 percent of their calories from added sugar.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting your consumption of added sugars to which of the following:",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Less than 20 percent of your total daily calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Less than 15 percent of your total daily calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Less than 10 percent of your total daily calories",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Less than 5 percent of your total daily calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The recommendation is to limit your intake of calories from added sugars to less than 10 percent per day, which translates to a maximum of 40 grams (or 180 calories) from added sugars if you consume 1,800 calories per day. The American Heart Association is even stricter, recommending a max of 6 teaspoons (or 100 calories) of added sugar per day for women, a max of 9 teaspoons (or 150 calories) of added sugar per day for men.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which of the following has the most sugar?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "5.3 oz. Dannon fruit on the bottom cherry yogurt",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Chocolate chip Clif Bar",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "12 oz. Coke",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "12 oz. Starbucks Iced Cinnamon Almondmilk Macchiato",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "But here’s the real surprise: While a 12 oz. Coke contains a whopping 39 grams of sugar, the others also have plenty of it. The yogurt has 22 grams, the Clif Bar has 21 and the iced coffee drink has 19. Sugar bombs, all around!",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "If you want to retrain your taste buds and help yourself beat a sugar habit, you should replace real sugar with an artificial sweetener in your coffee or tea.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "True",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "False",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Artificial sweeteners may be low in calories but they’re intensely sweet, and research suggests consuming them can actually stimulate appetite and cause you to crave even sweeter foods and beverages.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Sugar goes by many different names on food labels. Which of the following is not another moniker for added sugar:",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Maltose",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Guar gum",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Rice syrup",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Molasses",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Guar gum comes from guar beans and it’s used to thicken or stabilize the texture of certain foods; it is loaded with fiber and actually may help temper the blood-sugar rise that occurs after eating. For the record, anything ending with -ose (as in dextrose, fructose, sucrose, maltose) or syrup (as in corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup or agave syrup) is a form of sugar, and molasses is a syrup that’s produced during the sugar-refining process. You can tell what’s been added by perusing the ingredients list.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect