How much sugar intake is considered healthy? This is because sugary foods take the place of healthy foods in your diet. Eating too much sugar can make you gain weight and miss out on important nutrients. It's important to know that sugar is often put into canned or packaged foods and drinks, making them have more calories without giving you any extra nutrients. One teaspoon of granulated sugar, about 4 grams, has 16 calories and doesn't give any important nutrients. Sugar has calories but does not have important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. When we eat a small amount of these sugars, they give our body energy and our body can use them well. Fructose is broken down in a different way in the body and is mostly handled by the liver. Glucose is the main energy source for our body's cells and the brain can easily use it. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate made up of glucose and fructose molecules. What are the composition and nutritional value of sugar? It is important for our diet and gives us fast energy.īut eating too much sugar is connected to many health problems like being very overweight, having diabetes, and having heart disease. Sugar is a common ingredient that many people eat in different ways, like regular sugar, corn syrup, and the sugar that's in fruits and honey.