Added Sugar Limit & Label Helper
Set a daily added sugar cap and see how labels eat into it
Added sugar limit and label helper FAQ
What counts as “added” sugar versus natural sugar?
Added sugars are the sugars and syrups put into foods and drinks during processing, cooking or at the table. That includes things like table sugar, honey, syrups and sugars in sweetened drinks and desserts. Natural sugars inside whole fruit and unsweetened dairy are usually not counted the same way in guidelines, which often focus on added or “free” sugars from processed foods and drinks.
How big should my daily added sugar limit be?
Many public-health recommendations suggest keeping added sugars fairly low. For many adults, that often means roughly 25–36 g per day (about 6–9 teaspoons) or less, depending on sex, energy needs and medical history. Some guidelines also talk about keeping free sugars under about 10% of total calories, with even lower targets for some people. Always follow the limit your own doctor or dietitian recommends.
Will this tool tell me exactly what I should eat?
No. This page is a tracking helper, not a full meal plan. It simply turns the grams or teaspoons you read on labels into a running total for the day and shows what percentage of your own limit that total represents. What you actually choose to eat, and what your limit should be, is something to set with your healthcare team.
How do I find added sugar on a nutrition label?
On many modern labels you will see a line for “Added sugars” in grams, sometimes with a percentage of a daily value. If your label only shows “sugars” in general, you may need to check the ingredients list for syrups, sugar, honey and similar terms to decide how much is added versus natural. When in doubt, log what you see as a rough estimate and keep notes.
What if I only know total sugar, not added sugar?
You can still use the tool, but your log will mix natural and added sugars together. If the food is a sweetened drink, dessert, flavoured yogurt or cereal, most of the sugar is often added. For whole fruit, plain milk or minimally processed foods, much of the sugar is natural and may not be what your doctor is worried about. Use your best judgment or ask a dietitian when you are unsure.
Does going over the limit once ruin my progress?
One day over a limit usually matters less than your overall pattern over weeks and months. If you see that many days are very high, it’s a sign to talk with your care team and see where gentle swaps might help. Use this tool to notice patterns rather than to beat yourself up about any single snack or celebration.
Is very low added sugar always better?
Lower added sugar is often helpful for many people, especially if you drink a lot of sweetened beverages or rely heavily on desserts. But the “best” target still depends on your health, medications and preferences. For some people, a moderate, realistic limit they can stick to long term is more useful than a perfect but impossible goal.
Should people with diabetes or heart disease use this tool differently?
If you live with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease or other conditions, your team may ask you to keep added sugar even lower or to track in more detail. In that case, treat this page as a visual aid and rely on your doctor’s or dietitian’s specific instructions first whenever they differ from what you see here.
How to use this added sugar limit and label helper
This calculator turns a simple daily added sugar cap into an easy visual: how much you have logged so far and what percentage of your limit that total represents. Instead of guessing whether “a few snacks” are fine, you can watch the number creep up as you read labels through the day.
1. Choose units and set a daily cap
Pick whether you want to think in US teaspoons (tsp) or metric grams (g). In teaspoon mode, the calculator assumes a rough 4 g of sugar per teaspoon. Enter the daily limit you and your care team prefer — for example, a certain number of teaspoons per day or a maximum grams of added sugar.
2. Log added sugar from labels and snacks
Each time you have a food or drink with added sugar, look at the label and type the added sugar amount for the portion you’re actually eating. You can add a short note such as “granola bar” or “evening soda” so the copied summary later still makes sense.
3. Watch the total and % of your limit
When you hit Add item and update day, the tool adds that item to your running total for today. It then shows:
- Your daily limit in teaspoons or grams.
- The amount of added sugar you have logged so far.
- The percentage of the limit used and a short note on whether you are under, near or over your cap.
You can keep adding items across the day to see how quickly small things like sauces, drinks and snacks add up against your chosen limit.
4. Copy the summary into a notes app or food log
Use Copy summary to paste the day’s totals into a note, spreadsheet or app. That makes it easier to spot patterns from week to week, see which days climb high, and share simple numbers with your healthcare team if they ask how much added sugar you’re getting.
Remember that this is a support tool, not a strict rulebook. Your real-world target should always come from your own doctor or dietitian, especially if you have medical conditions that change how your body handles sugar or carbohydrates.
How the added sugar limit and percentage math works
Under the hood, this helper keeps the math very simple: convert everything into a single base unit, add each item to a running total, then compare that total to your chosen limit and express it as a percentage of the cap.
1. Convert teaspoons to grams when needed
If you use teaspoon mode, the calculator treats one teaspoon of sugar as about 4 grams. That rough conversion shows up in many everyday nutrition tools and public resources. When you log or set a limit in teaspoons, the tool multiplies by 4 behind the scenes so everything can be stored as grams while you still see teaspoons on screen.
2. Store a running total in grams
Every time you add an item, the calculator converts it into grams (directly if you’re in gram mode, or via the teaspoon conversion) and adds that to a single running total for the day. This avoids rounding errors from juggling different units, while still letting you flip between teaspoons and grams in the interface whenever you like.
3. Compare total intake to your daily limit
When both a daily limit and at least one item are present, the tool:
- Converts your limit into grams (if needed) to match the stored total.
- Calculates % of limit used ≈ (total grams ÷ limit grams) × 100.
- Rounds the result so you see tidy whole numbers.
The summary also shows how much room is left before you hit the cap or, if you’re over, roughly how far past the target you are.
4. Keep the display simple enough to use every day
Instead of tracking dozens of label details, this helper sticks to one number you pick (your daily added sugar limit) and one total it builds (your logged added sugar for the day). The goal is to make it realistic to check your added sugar intake quickly without needing spreadsheets or complex diet logs, and to give you a clear picture you can still adjust with your healthcare team.
Use the math as a transparent starting point. If clinicians give you stricter limits or a different way of counting sugars for your situation, those directions should always come first.
References and further reading on added sugar limits and labels
These resources explain common added sugar limits, teaspoon conversions and free sugar guidelines:
- American Heart Association — Added sugars — outlines advice to keep added sugars to about 6 teaspoons (roughly 25 g) per day for many adult women and 9 teaspoons (about 36 g) for many adult men, with examples of typical sources.
- World Health Organization — Sugars intake guideline — recommends limiting free sugars to less than 10% of daily energy intake, with potential added benefits for some people at levels nearer 5% of calories.
- Fruits & Veggies — Suggested daily intake for sugar — discusses added sugar limits and notes that one teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams, a handy rule of thumb used in this calculator.
Use these as background reading and always pair their general guidance with the specific limits and plans your own healthcare professionals recommend for you.