Added Sugar Calculator
Track teaspoons or grams of added sugar against common daily limits — with calories from sugar and kitchen context.
Daily limit
25g
Your intake
16g
≈ 4 tsp
From sugar
64
kcal
Room left
9g
64% used
Educational estimates only — not medical advice. “Added sugar” differs from total sugars on labels.
How it works
Choose a limit style
AHA sex-based caps or 10% of daily calories.
Enter sugar intake
Use teaspoons or grams of added sugar.
Compare to the limit
See grams, teaspoons, calories, and % used.
Read the guide
Learn label tips and cooking swaps below.
What is added sugar?
Added sugars are sugars put into foods during processing or prep — table sugar in coffee, syrup in sauces, sweetened drinks — not the sugars naturally present in whole fruit or plain milk.
Labels list “Total Sugars” and sometimes “Includes Added Sugars.” This calculator focuses on added/free-sugar style limits for education.
Common daily limits
Formula
1 tsp sugar ≈ 4 g · 4 kcal per gram
- AHA womenAbout 25 g (6 tsp) added sugar/day
- AHA menAbout 36 g (9 tsp) added sugar/day
- WHO 10%Free sugars under ~10% of daily calories
- StricterSome guidance aims nearer 5% of calories
Worked example
Four teaspoons of sugar in tea ≈ 16 g ≈ 64 kcal. Against a 25 g women’s AHA-style cap, that is already most of the day’s room.
Sugar in the kitchen
Hidden sweet spots
Cola (12 oz)
~39 g
often all added
Ketchup (1 tbsp)
~4 g
approx.
BBQ sauce (2 tbsp)
~10–16 g
varies
When scaling sweet sauces with the Recipe Scaler, sugar scales too — taste and trim for large batches. Pair with the Macro Calculator if you track carbs overall.