Added Sugar Limit Calculator

About this calculator

Daily added sugar limits are set two main ways: the World Health Organization and American Heart Association (AHA) recommend keeping added sugar (sugar not naturally present in whole foods) below roughly 10% of total daily calories, while the AHA also publishes fixed daily caps of no more than 36 grams (9 teaspoons) for men and 25 grams (6 teaspoons) for women, based on cardiovascular risk research rather than a percentage of individual caloric intake. 'Added sugar' specifically excludes naturally occurring sugars in fruit or plain milk, targeting sugars added during processing or preparation instead.

Dietitians and public health guidelines reference both approaches because they capture different things: the percentage-of-calories method scales with an individual's energy needs, while the AHA's fixed gram limits are simpler to communicate and are based directly on outcomes like increased cardiovascular disease risk observed at higher added-sugar intakes in epidemiological studies.

This calculator takes your daily calories and sex and returns your added sugar limit in both grams and teaspoons, calculated both ways so you can compare the two standards.