How much sugar a day? A sugar intake calculator with the official limits
This sugar intake calculator shows the most free sugar you should have in a day, in grams and teaspoons, according to the World Health Organization, the NHS and the American Heart Association — for adults and for children. Enter your age group and daily calories, and the WHO limits (under 10%, ideally under 5% of energy) are worked out for your own intake beside the fixed NHS and AHA figures.
Then log what you drink and eat: search 300 foods and drinks with real portions — a can of cola, a cup of chai with sugar, a glass of orange juice, a biscuit — or add teaspoons of sugar or the grams from a label. A bar shows how close you are to your limit. Everything stays in your browser.
How to use the Sugar Intake Calculator
- Choose your age group, your sex (for adults) and your daily calories.
- Read your limit and the table comparing WHO, NHS, AHA and US guideline figures.
- Search a drink or food, pick the portion and amount, and press Add to today. Leave “counts as free sugar” ticked for sweetened drinks, juice, sweets and sauces; untick it for whole fruit and plain milk.
- Use Teaspoons of sugar for sugar stirred into tea or coffee, or Sugars from a label for packaged foods.
- Watch the bar and the “left” or “over” figure; press Clear today to start a new day.
Sugar Intake Calculator features
Four guidelines side by side
WHO 10% and 5% of energy, the NHS maximums by age, AHA limits for women, men and children, and the US Dietary Guidelines.
Grams and teaspoons
Every limit and total is shown in grams and in level teaspoons (4.2 g, USDA).
Sugar in drinks and snacks
USDA total sugars for real portions — cans, bottles, cups, slices — scaled automatically.
Free-sugar switch
Each logged item can count or not count towards your limit, so fruit and milk sugars are not mistaken for added sugar.
Private
No account; the day’s log is kept only on this device.
Daily sugar limits explained
WHO’s 2015 guideline asks adults and children to keep free sugars under 10% of total energy, and suggests under 5% for extra benefit — on 2,000 kcal that is 50 g and 25 g (energy ÷ 4 kcal per gram). NHS figures are from “Sugar: the facts” (reviewed May 2023); AHA figures are from its 2009 and 2017 scientific statements; the US Dietary Guidelines 2020–2025 set added sugars under 10% of calories from age 2.
| Who | NHS free sugars | AHA added sugars |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | 30 g (about 7 tsp) | Women 25 g · men 36 g |
| 11–17 years | 30 g | under 25 g |
| 7–10 years | 24 g | under 25 g |
| 4–6 years | 19 g | under 25 g |
| 2–3 years | 14 g | under 25 g |
| 1 year | 10 g | none |
| Under 1 | none added | none |
What counts as free sugar
Free sugars are sugars added to food and drinks by manufacturers, cooks or you, plus the sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and smoothies. Sugar inside whole fruit and vegetables, and lactose in plain milk, does not count. That is why a glass of orange juice counts but an orange does not. US “added sugars” are similar but do not include 100% fruit juice.
Food labels show total sugars, which include milk and fruit sugars, so a yogurt label overstates its free sugar. On US labels, “Includes X g Added Sugars” gives the added part directly — the nutrition label generator explains how that line is rounded.
Where the sugar hides
- A 330–375 ml can of cola holds about 34–37 g of sugar (USDA) — more than the adult NHS maximum on its own.
- Chai or coffee with two teaspoons of sugar, three times a day, adds about 25 g.
- Ketchup, chutney, cereal bars and flavoured yogurt add sugar in small amounts that build up.
- Swapping juice for whole fruit keeps the vitamins and fibre without the free sugar; see how carbohydrate-heavy foods compare in the glycemic load calculator.
Sugar Intake Calculator FAQ
How much sugar should I have a day?
For adults the NHS maximum is 30 g of free sugars (about 7 teaspoons). WHO says under 10% of your calories — 50 g on 2,000 kcal — and ideally under 5% (25 g). The AHA suggests no more than 25 g of added sugar for women and 36 g for men.
How do I calculate my daily sugar intake?
Add up the free sugars in everything you eat and drink: use the sugars on labels, or log foods in this daily sugar intake calculator, which scales USDA values to your portion and totals them.
Does sugar in fruit count?
Not when the fruit is whole. Sugar in fruit juice, smoothies, honey and syrups does count as free sugar.
How many grams of sugar are in a teaspoon?
A level teaspoon of white sugar weighs about 4.2 g (USDA). The NHS describes its limits in sugar cubes of about 4 g.
Is this sugar intake calculator from the NHS?
No. It is an independent tool that shows the NHS figures alongside WHO and AHA guidance, with the sources and dates listed. It is information, not medical advice.