What do you need to know about ideal sugar consumption in your diet?  Knowledge is power and class is in session at “Healthier U.”

Understanding the role sugar plays in our daily diet can make all the difference in managing our intake.

Let’s start with calorie count. On average, most adult women need about 1,800 total calories per day and most men need about 2,200.

Of that, only about 100 calories should come from sugar for women and 150 for men according to the American Heart Association.

In determining sugar calories look for ingredients such as sugar, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose and molasses – these are all added sugars.

Natural sugars from fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products do not go against your calorie count.

As a rule of thumb, most adults should not exceed six to nine teaspoons of sugar each day.  However, the American Heart Association says the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily.

One extra note – another national health survey has shown that boys ages 14 to 18 consume a whopping 34 teaspoons of added sugar a day.

To learn more, we encourage you to visit these two valuable links from the American Heart Association and The U.S. Department of Agriculture's database listing added sugars in certain foods.