How Much Do You Really Know About Sugar? Take the Quiz

If you don’t read the label on almost every food item you buy, you may be surprised how much sugar (and how many different kinds there are) on so many supposedly unsweet products. From soups to cereals, sugar is in almost everything. And not just a little bit! So how much do you know about your sugar intake? We built this quiz to test your knowledge.

Every number here comes off a real label: we checked labels of the yogurts and smoothies on our health-food list, and the breakfast foods, sauces and drinks in our doughnut comparison. Daily limits are from the American Heart Association, label math is from the FDA, and the national average is from the CDC.

There are 18 questions: some are about how much sugar is in certain foods, and some are about what sugar does to you. Choose an answer to see if you’re right.

Photo by Inna Safa on Unsplash

QUESTION 1 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🥣Honey Nut Cheerios1 cupCHOOSE

✓ Right

Sugar, honey and brown sugar syrup make up three of the first five ingredients in this cereal, which has 12 grams to the doughnut’s 10, all of it added sugar.

VS

🍩A Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut1 doughnutCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Honey Nut Cheerios.

Sugar, honey and brown sugar syrup make up three of the first five ingredients in this cereal, which has 12 grams to the doughnut’s 10, all of it added sugar.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

Photo by Reinhard A. Deutsch on Unsplash

QUESTION 2 OF 18

Does the sugar in honey count as added sugar on a nutrition label?

🍯No, it’s naturalCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Yes, it counts.

Even a jar of straight-up honey counts (the FDA considers sugar from honey and other syrups to be added sugar, just like plain ol’ table sugar; in fact, a jar of honey will show its Daily Value for added sugar on the label, and it will look a little different from other labels).

VS

🏷️Yes, it countsCHOOSE

✓ Right

Even a jar of straight-up honey counts (the FDA considers sugar from honey and other syrups to be added sugar, just like plain ol’ table sugar; in fact, a jar of honey will show its Daily Value for added sugar on the label, and it will look a little different from other labels).

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

Photo by Camara Negra on Unsplash

QUESTION 3 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🍫A fun-size Snickers1 barCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Yoplait Original Strawberry yogurt.

Sugar comes before strawberry on the label, and of the 18 g of sugar, 13 g is added sugar. That’s twice the 9 grams in a fun-size Snickers.

VS

🍓Yoplait Original Strawberry yogurt6 oz cupCHOOSE

✓ Right

Sugar comes before strawberry on the label, and of the 18 g of sugar, 13 g is added sugar. That’s twice the 9 grams in a fun-size Snickers.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 4 OF 18

In a 2016 sleep-lab study of 26 adults, getting more of the day’s calories from sugar was linked to…

😴Deeper, steadier sleepCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Lighter sleep with more awakenings.

In a lab-based study, people’s sleep was measured over several nights. Diets higher in sugar were associated with more arousals. Diets low in fiber and high in sugar and saturated fat were associated with lighter, less restorative sleep. It’s a small study that shows an association, not that these foods cause worse sleep.

VS

🌙Lighter sleep with more awakeningsCHOOSE

✓ Right

In a lab-based study, people’s sleep was measured over several nights. Diets higher in sugar were associated with more arousals. Diets low in fiber and high in sugar and saturated fat were associated with lighter, less restorative sleep. It’s a small study that shows an association, not that these foods cause worse sleep.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 5 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🥫Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup½ cup condensedCHOOSE

✓ Right

Half a cup of condensed soup (before adding water) has 12 grams of sugar, one more than the snack-size Reese’s cup’s 11, and 8 of the 12 are added. (Sugar is the soup’s fourth ingredient.)

VS

🥜A snack-size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup1 cupCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup.

Half a cup of condensed soup (before adding water) has 12 grams of sugar, one more than the snack-size Reese’s cup’s 11, and 8 of the 12 are added. (Sugar is the soup’s fourth ingredient.)

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 6 OF 18

The American Heart Association’s daily limit on added sugar for women is…

🥄50 grams, about 12 teaspoonsCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s 25 grams, about 6 teaspoons.

The FDA’s Daily Value on Nutrition Facts labels is 50 grams of added sugar per day, double the AHA’s limit for women, which is 25 grams (for men it’s 36).

VS

🥄25 grams, about 6 teaspoonsCHOOSE

✓ Right

The FDA’s Daily Value on Nutrition Facts labels is 50 grams of added sugar per day, double the AHA’s limit for women, which is 25 grams (for men it’s 36).

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 7 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🍊Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice8 ozCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail.

The bigger discrepancy between the two drinks is added sugar. The cranberry cocktail has 23 grams of it while the orange juice has none (the sugar in the orange juice comes from the oranges themselves). In total sugar, the cranberry cocktail has 25 grams to the orange juice’s 22.

VS

🧃Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail8 ozCHOOSE

✓ Right

The bigger discrepancy between the two drinks is added sugar. The cranberry cocktail has 23 grams of it while the orange juice has none (the sugar in the orange juice comes from the oranges themselves). In total sugar, the cranberry cocktail has 25 grams to the orange juice’s 22.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 8 OF 18

Does sugar make kids hyperactive?

📚The research says noCHOOSE

✓ Right

One of the most persistent myths is that sugar gives kids a “sugar high”, extra energy that leads to wild behavior. In fact, a 1995 review of 23 studies published in JAMA concluded that there’s no evidence that sugar has any effect on children’s behavior or cognition.

VS

⚡Yes, that’s the sugar highCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s The research says no.

One of the most persistent myths is that sugar gives kids a “sugar high”, extra energy that leads to wild behavior. In fact, a 1995 review of 23 studies published in JAMA concluded that there’s no evidence that sugar has any effect on children’s behavior or cognition.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 9 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🥤A 12 oz can of soda12 ozCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s A bottled Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino.

A bottled Frappuccino contains 46 grams of sugar (14 of which are from milk, meaning there are 32 grams of added sugar), compared to about 42 grams of sugar in a 12 oz soda.

VS

☕A bottled Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino13.7 oz bottleCHOOSE

✓ Right

A bottled Frappuccino contains 46 grams of sugar (14 of which are from milk, meaning there are 32 grams of added sugar), compared to about 42 grams of sugar in a 12 oz soda.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 10 OF 18

Adults who got a quarter or more of their calories from added sugar, compared with those under 10%, had what risk of dying from cardiovascular disease?

❤️Nearly three times the riskCHOOSE

✓ Right

In a 2014 study, CDC researchers followed 11,733 adults for a median of 14.6 years. During that time, they found that those who got 25% or more of their calories from added sugar had nearly three times (2.75 times) the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease of those who got less than 10%. People who got 10 to 25% of their calories from added sugar had about a 30% higher risk.

VS

⚖️About the same riskCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Nearly three times the risk.

In a 2014 study, CDC researchers followed 11,733 adults for a median of 14.6 years. During that time, they found that those who got 25% or more of their calories from added sugar had nearly three times (2.75 times) the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease of those who got less than 10%. People who got 10 to 25% of their calories from added sugar had about a 30% higher risk.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 11 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🥬A Naked Green Machine juice smoothie15.2 oz bottleCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s A bottle of Coca-Cola.

Coke has more, 65 grams to the smoothie’s 49, but unlike Coke, this one touts no added sugar on the label. (The two are closer than the green label suggests.) That’s because the sugar comes primarily from apple juice and other fruit juices.

VS

🥤A bottle of Coca-Cola20 oz bottleCHOOSE

✓ Right

Coke has more, 65 grams to the smoothie’s 49, but unlike Coke, this one touts no added sugar on the label. (The two are closer than the green label suggests.) That’s because the sugar comes primarily from apple juice and other fruit juices.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 12 OF 18

How much added sugar does the average American adult eat in a day, according to the CDC?

🥄About 17 teaspoonsCHOOSE

✓ Right

That’s 17 teaspoons of added sugar, which is 68 grams (a teaspoon is about 4 grams). That’s close to three times the AHA limit for women.

VS

🥄About 6 teaspoonsCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s About 17 teaspoons.

That’s 17 teaspoons of added sugar, which is 68 grams (a teaspoon is about 4 grams). That’s close to three times the AHA limit for women.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 13 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

🥣Honey Nut Cheerios1 cupCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Kellogg’s Raisin Bran.

Raisin Bran, 18 grams to 12. But since half of that sugar comes from raisins, the added sugar, 9 grams, is less than Cheerios’ 12.

VS

🍇Kellogg’s Raisin Bran1 cupCHOOSE

✓ Right

Raisin Bran, 18 grams to 12. But since half of that sugar comes from raisins, the added sugar, 9 grams, is less than Cheerios’ 12.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 14 OF 18

Which does the CDC name as a leading source of added sugar in the American diet?

🍬CandyCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s Sugar-sweetened drinks.

Sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts and sweet snacks are on the list. Sugar-sweetened drinks are one of the leading sources of added sugars in Americans’ diets, according to the CDC.

VS

🥤Sugar-sweetened drinksCHOOSE

✓ Right

Sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts and sweet snacks are on the list. Sugar-sweetened drinks are one of the leading sources of added sugars in Americans’ diets, according to the CDC.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 15 OF 18

Which has more added sugar?

🍫A chocolate chip Clif Bar1 barCHOOSE

✓ Right

The Clif Bar fared worse on added sugar. Both bars have 17 grams of sugar, but 16 of those in the Clif Bar are added, and come mostly from syrups. The Larabar’s sugar, on the other hand, comes mostly from dates, and only 4 grams are added.

VS

🥜A peanut butter chocolate chip Larabar1 barCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s A chocolate chip Clif Bar.

The Clif Bar fared worse on added sugar. Both bars have 17 grams of sugar, but 16 of those in the Clif Bar are added, and come mostly from syrups. The Larabar’s sugar, on the other hand, comes mostly from dates, and only 4 grams are added.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

Photo by Amber Fisher on Unsplash

QUESTION 16 OF 18

The CDC says adults should keep added sugar under how much per meal?

🍽️10 gramsCHOOSE

✓ Right

According to the CDC, teens and adults should limit their added sugar consumption to 10 grams per meal, and that’s just one Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.

VS

🍽️25 gramsCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s 10 grams.

According to the CDC, teens and adults should limit their added sugar consumption to 10 grams per meal, and that’s just one Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

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QUESTION 17 OF 18

Which has more sugar?

☕A Grande Starbucks Caramel Macchiato16 ozCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s A bottle of Snapple Peach Tea.

On Snapple’s label, sugar comes right after water, ahead of the tea. The Snapple weighs in at 34 grams to the macchiato’s 33, and all of it is added sugar. Some of the macchiato’s sugar comes from milk.

VS

🍑A bottle of Snapple Peach Tea16 oz bottleCHOOSE

✓ Right

On Snapple’s label, sugar comes right after water, ahead of the tea. The Snapple weighs in at 34 grams to the macchiato’s 33, and all of it is added sugar. Some of the macchiato’s sugar comes from milk.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

QUESTION 18 OF 18

About how many grams of sugar are in one teaspoon?

🥄About 4 gramsCHOOSE

✓ Right

That’s about 4 grams, the conversion the American Heart Association uses. So that 12 oz soda with 42 grams of sugar? That’s the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons.

VS

🥄About 10 gramsCHOOSE

✗ Not quite. It’s About 4 grams.

That’s about 4 grams, the conversion the American Heart Association uses. So that 12 oz soda with 42 grams of sugar? That’s the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons.

Choose your answer to see if you’re right.

How did you do?

The numbers behind the quiz

Labels change; the dates we checked each one are in the linked articles.

Health sources: the sleep result is from St-Onge and colleagues, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016. The honey answer is the FDA’s added-sugars definition. The hyperactivity answer is the 1995 JAMA meta-analysis by Wolraich and colleagues. The heart answer is Yang and colleagues, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014. The leading-sources, per-meal and average-intake answers are from the CDC’s added-sugars page; the daily limits and the 4-grams-per-teaspoon conversion are the American Heart Association’s.

The Greenest Editors

The Greenest is a collective of doctors, pharmacists, dietitians, veterinarians, and some regular folks who just love wellness.