How To Calculate How Many Calories Comes From Sugar

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate with no nutritional value. Fruits and milk products have naturally occurring sugars called fructose and lactose, respectively. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most sugar in the average person’s diet in the U.S. comes from added sugar. Added sugars include white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup and honey. Use the information printed on nutrition facts labels to calculate the total number of calories of your food or beverage item that comes from sugar.

Step 1

Find the number of calories and the number of grams of sugar for your food item on the nutrition facts label. Note that the information is listed per serving.

Step 2

Multiply the number of grams of sugar by four, since carbohydrates and sugars are 4 calories per gram. For example, if one glass of orange juice has 22 g of sugar, multiply 22 g by 4 calories per gram to get 88 calories from sugar.

Step 3

Divide the number of calories that come from sugar by the total number of calories per serving to determine the proportion of calories from sugar. Multiply by 100 to find the percentage. For example, if a glass of orange juice has 110 calories, then divide 88 calories by 110 calories and multiply by 100 to get a value of 80 percent of calories coming from sugar.

Tips and Warnings

Use restaurant menus and online tools, such as the USDA National Nutrient Database, to find nutritional information for food and beverage items without a nutrition facts label.