woman in a supermarket buying a bottle of juice

How Much Sugar is In that Drink?

By CHI Health Food and Nutrition Services Team June 25, 2019 Posted in: Nutrition

Did you know that sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the biggest contributors to weight gain and obesity? There are many sneaky sources of sugar in both food and drinks that are all around us. Have you stopped to consider how many calories may be in the beverage you are consuming?

Common Beverages and Their Calorie/Sugar Content

Drink	Serving Size	Calories	Sugar in grams / Teaspoons of sugar
Water	Any	0	0 / 0
La Croix	1 can (12 oz)	0	0 / 0
Iced tea, unsweetened	1 glass (8-20 oz)	0	0 / 0
Coffee, brewed	1 mug (6-12 oz)	0	0 / 0
Milk, 2%*	1 cup (8 oz)	122	12 g / 3 tsp
Apple Juice*	1 juice box	101	24g / 6 tsp
Lemonade	1 juice box	93	24 g / 6 tsp
Coca-Cola	1 bottle (16 oz)	187	52 g / 13 tsp
Moutain Dew	1 bottle (16 oz)	232	62 g / 16 tsp
Arizona Tea	1 can (24 oz)	210	51 g / 13 tsp
Hot Chocolate	1 cup (8 oz)	192	24 g / 6 tsp
Gatorade	1 bottle (20 oz)	140	34 g / 9 tsp
Vitamin Water	1 bottle (20 oz)	120	32 g / 8 tsp
Sobe (strawberry banana)	1 bottle (20 oz)	250	62 g / 16 tsp
Red Bull	1 small can (8.5 oz)	110	28 g / 7 g
Monster	1 can (16 oz)	200	54 g / 14 tsp
Cafe latte (Vanilla with 2% milk)	Grande (16 oz)	250	35 g / 9 tsp
Starbucks Double Shot Energy Drink	1 can (15 oz)	210	25 g / 6 tsp
Starbucks Caramel Macchiato	Grande (16 oz)	270	32 g / 8 tsp
Starbucks Frappuccino (Vanilla Bean, no whipped cream)	Grande (16 oz)	280	55 g / 14 tsp
Pina Colada Cocktail	1 glass (4.5 oz)	245	32 g / 8 tsp
Mike’s Hard Lemonade	1 bottle (11 oz)	220	32 g / 8 tsp
White Claw	1 can	110	4 g / 1 tsp
Red wine	1 glass (5 oz)	126	1 g / 0.25 tsp
Jamba Juice (Mango-a-go-go) Smoothie	1 medium (22 oz)	400	89 g / 22 tsp
Wendy’s Frosty (Chocolate)	1 small	340	47 g / 12 tsp
McDonald’s Mcflurry (Oreo)	1 regular	520	64 g / 16 tsp

The drinks that are listed from apple juice all the way down the list are beverages that should be consumed in moderation.

*Milk may have some sugar, but this is natural sugar and also is paired with protein and fat to help encourage growth, muscle tone, and feeling full. Because of this, milk can be consumed regularly unless you are lactose intolerant or concerned about the calories. There are always options for more or less fat (whole milk, 2%, skim, etc) – that is up to you and what matters to you in your diet!

*Apple juice can be confusing for some people to understand why this is a ‘drink in moderation’ beverage. Whole fruits can be consumed regularly with great health benefits because of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber involved. However, the juice alone does not include all of these benefits and should be consumed in moderation.

If you are interested in speaking with a CHI Health Registered Dietitian, learn more about their services online.

References: All information obtained from The Calorie King and/or the direct manufacture’s published nutrition facts.