The Milky Way Index: How Much is Too Much Sugar?

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Sugar is everywhere. It’s in desserts, but it’s also in things like bread, ketchup, juice, and normal every day foods you wouldn’t even guess have sugar in them! So how much is too much sugar? This guide will outline how much sugar you can eat each day, what foods have hidden added sugars, and what you should avoid!

When it comes to figuring out what are the healthiest foods to eat, it can be confusing because of all of the hidden added sugar in food today. Cereal is one of the places where there is hidden sugar. That is why finding the healthiest cereal sometimes could be challenging.

To make it easier, I created a simple index in this post to compare the added sugar in common foods to the equivalent amount of a candy bar you might be eating.

So for example, 1 can of soda would be equivalent to 4 fun sized Milky Way candy bars.

But before we get into the index, let’s establish some baseline rules on how much is too much sugar to begin with!

How much is too much sugar in a day?

The answer to this question is simple, thanks to some clear rules from the American Heart Association:

• Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) per day.
• For Women, the recommendation is: 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day.

Anything more than that would be considered too much added sugar per day.

What happens if you eat too much sugar?

Eating too much sugar in one day, once in a while (like once every few months) may not have long term harmful health effects. But eating too much sugar on a regular basis (daily, or multiple times a week) has been tied to many negative health effects including:

• Increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease
• Weight gain and/or obesity
• Premature aging
• Inflammation in the body
• Weakened immune system
• Increased risk of fatty liver
• Negative impact on dental health

What Foods Have Hidden Added Sugar?

Did you know that drinking a glass of juice is like eating a regular sized Snickers Bar / Milky Way Bar / Candy Bar?

That sounds pretty crazy right? You might have a glass of juice for breakfast every morning but you’d never think to eat a chocolate bar for breakfast every morning.

The problem is, the sugar from the juice acts very similarly in your body as the sugar from a candy bar would.

Which is why, in this “Index” I have decided to compare typical, every day foods to the number of fun sized Milky Way bars.

So if you’re wondering: how much is too much sugar?

The Milky Way Index is your answer.

And what is the Milky Way Index? It is your guide to understanding how much sugar is in the foods you might eat on a daily basis. A lot of these foods are marketed as “healthy,” or “natural,” but they’re actually completely the opposite and should be avoided. You could be deceived into eating a lot more sugar than you might realize thanks to the marketing machines of major food companies.

Inspired by the “Big Mac Index,” (which is a guide to help people understand if currencies are at the right level) this Milky Way Index will show you: for the top 20 food sources of hidden sugar – what that one food item equals in Fun Size Milky Way Bars.

Everyone knows that you probably shouldn’t be having 4-6 Fun Size Milky Way Bars a day, but did you know you could be getting the equivalent of that by having a Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Wheat Bread with Ketchup and a small container of Strawberry Yogurt on the side?

The Milky Way Index: How Much Is Too Much Sugar?

For this Index, I’m using the “Fun Size” Milky Way Bar which has the following stats: 80 calories, 3g fat, and 10.5g Sugar (equivalent to 2.5 teaspoons). 

#1 | Soda

Let’s start with an obvious offender. Did you know that 1 small 12oz can has 39g of sugar? That’s literally almost 4 Fun Sized Milky Ways. There’s no way around it: Don’t drink soda.

#2 | Canned Fruit in Syrup

Some canned fruit can be ok (if they are packed in water). But the sneaky ones packed in syrup can have up to 30-35g of sugar for 1 cup of fruit! That’s about 3.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Choose fresh fruit instead of canned!

#3 | Iced Tea

Hot tea or ice tea without added sugar is healthy. But pre-packaged iced teas have more sugar than tea in them. Snapple’s “All Natural” Lemon Tea has 36g Sugar for a 16oz bottle. That’s about 3.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways.

#4 | Fruit Juice

Fruit juices are often made from fruit concentrates, which aren’t always good for you. Concentrates do contain actual fruit juice, but often in the concentration process the fruit flavor becomes bland, so sugar is added to make it sweet. 1 8oz glass can contain 28g of sugar. That’s basically 3 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of drinking juice, try infusing water with fresh fruit (cut up the fruit and add it to a pitcher of water and let is soak for a few hours). Or make your own fresh squeezed juices or smoothies at home!

#5 | Protein Bars

Usually marketed as a great “post workout snack,” most protein bars are super processed and can have anywhere between 25-35g of sugar! That’s about 3 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of a protein bar, try Greek Yogurt with fruit, nut butters on sprouted wheat bread, or make a smoothie using an unsweetened organic protein powder like Amazing Meal or SunWarrior.

#6 | Dried Fruit

With all the water taken out, dried fruit has way more sugar by volume than fresh fruits. But on top of that, some fruit (like cranberries) are actually sour, and so tons of sugar is added to the dried version to make them taste sweet. 1/4 cup of dried cranberries has 29g sugar. That’s about 3 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of dried fruit, eat fresh fruit. You’ll stay fuller longer and it’ll be much healthier for you.

#7 | Mixed Drinks

Alcohol is pure sugar. But beer and wine have way less sugar than mixed drinks you’d get at a bar. A 4oz Pina Colada has 28g of added sugar, equal to about 3 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Avoid mixed drinks and stick to one glass of beer or wine instead.

#8 | Flavored Yogurt

This is one of the sneaker ones – because everyone knows yogurt is healthy right? The problem is all of the flavored varieties – which can be so sweet they taste like dessert! That’s because, they basically are. One 6-8oz serving of flavored yogurt can have between 18-30g of sugar. We’ll call that about 2.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of getting flavored yogurt, get plain low-fat Greek Yogurt and add your own fruit (or fruit purees) to it!

#9 | Energy Drinks

So many people use energy drinks to get an extra boost mid-day or to stay awake if they’re up late. Energy drinks are basically caffeine and sugar, averaging 26g per 8oz can. That’s 2.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Avoid energy drinks and if you really need caffeine, drink a cup of coffee with 1-2 tbsp of milk.

#10 | Instant Flavored Oatmeal

This is one of those food products that seems healthy and is marketed to kids, but has tons of sugar in it. One packet of flavored oatmeal (even the healthy-sounding flavors) has between 10-15g sugar per packet. That’s about 1.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of the flavored oatmeals, use plain rolled oats and mix in fruit like berries and bananas, nuts/nut butters, and milk to give it flavor.

#11 | Granola

Another food product that sounds healthy, but isn’t. 1/2 a cup can have between 10-15g sugar. That’s about 1.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Avoid granola and stick to whole grain high fiber unsweetened cereals instead.

#12 | Kids’ Cereal

Most cereals marketed to kids have very little nutrients and are basically refined carbs, sugar and artificial coloring. Even the healthy sounding ones like “Honey Nut Cheerios” have 12g sugar for 1 cup of cereal. Most of these cereals run between 10-15g sugar for 3/4 of a cup – about 1.5 Fun Sized Milky Ways.

#13 | Condensed/Canned Tomato Soup

Why is there added sugar to tomato soup? No idea. All I can tell you is that 1/2 cup of Condensed Tomato Soup has 12g sugar. That’s 1 and 1/4 Fun Sized Milky Ways. Instead of buying canned soup, make your own tomato soup at home. It’s super easy and tastes way better!

#14 | Barbecue Sauce

Would you believe that only 2 Tbsp of some popular BBQ Sauce brands have 13g of Sugar? That’s about 1 and 1/4 of a Fun Size Milky Way. This can add up fast because most people use more than 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce on their food. There are some unsweetened BBQ sauce brands out there – so look for those or make your own at home!

#15 | Honey Wheat Bread

Sounds healthy right? But 2 slices of honey wheat bread have 10g sugar, equal to 1 Fun Size Milky Way. Don’t be fooled by all of the “wheat breads” on the grocery store shelves. They’re usually pretty processed and not much better than white bread. Instead, choose sprouted wheat bread – like this one from my favorite brand: Ezekiel.

#16 | Pasta Sauce

Many pasta sauce brands will have between 6-12g of added sugar for every 1/2 cup serving, which is about 1 Fun Sized Milky Way. The key here is label reading – look to see if “sugar” is one of the ingredients listed on the label. If not, then you are good to go!

#17 | Granola Bars

Another “healthy” sounding snack, which can have between 8-13g of sugar for just one bar! That’s equal to one Fun Sized Milky Way. There’s no good alternative to granola bars – so eat them sparingly or make your own at home!

#18 | Salad Dressing

Most pre-made salad dressings like “Raspberry Vineagrette,” “French Dressing,” and “Catalina Dressing” can have up to 10g of sugar for 2 Tbsp. It’s best to make your own salad dressing – it is super easy. I just mix extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic and it tastes great!

#19 | Ketchup

1 tbsp of Ketchup has 4g sugar. That’s only 1/2 of a Fun Sized Milky Way, but something to keep in mind if you are a fan of piling on the ketchup when eating fries, burgers, etc.

#20 | Coffee Creamer

Didn’t you think coffee creamer was cream? It’s actually water mixed with syrup, and cream is one of the farther-down-the-list ingredients. 1 Tbsp has 5g sugar – 1/2 of a Fun Sized Milky Way. Instead, just add regular cream to your coffee!

So there you have it. The Top 20 biggest offenders when it comes to hidden sugars in packaged foods. Everyone knows that candy bars (like a Milky Way) aren’t healthy – that they’re supposed to be eaten sparingly, as an occasional treat. But most people don’t think of the popular brands of bread, cereal, oatmeal and juice in the same way – but they are!

Not all brands add sugar to their food products, but most of the “big” brands: Kraft, Nestle, Heinz, Kelloggs, Yoplait, Pepperidge Farm, etc. do. So the key is to read food labels and look for the word “sugar” on the ingredients list, and the amount on the nutrition label.

I hope this post was helpful in deciphering food labels and finding the hidden sugar in your food! And the next time you pick up that glass of juice, or box of cereal, or granola bar, ask yourself: is this how you want to “spend” your Milky Ways for the day?