KIND snack company is shedding light on just how much extra sugar children consume, by creating a 45,485 pound pile of sugar in Times Square.

The 45,485 pounds represent the amount of sugar American children consume every 5 minutes.

The American Heart Association recommends children eat or drink less than six teaspoons of added sugars per day. Six teaspoons of added sugar amounts to about 100 extra calories, or 25 grams, per day. But the average amount is nearly triple this recommendation.

Many children consume more than 270 calories from added sugars each day according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Much of this comes from fruity beverages and soft drinks.

Artificial sweeteners aren’t without consequence either.

“Hopefully it empowers consumers — especially parents — to make informed food choices,” Stephanie Perruzza, RD & Wellness Specialist at KIND told USA Today.

Eating foods high in sugar during childhood has been linked to the developmental risks of heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure. Children who consume sugar laden foods are also tend to eat fewer healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables or whole grains.

Kind Bar creates pile of sugar in Times Square to show how much sugar American kids eat every 5 minutes.
The effects of too much sugar go beyond weight gain. Pixabay
10 Consequences of eating too much sugar
  1. Sugar is responsible for many cavities.
  2. Weight gain and obesity can be traced to high-fructose corn syrups and foods with high sugar content.
  3. Sugar causes diabetes.
  4. Sugar can make your organs collect fat — leading to fatty liver disease among other.
  5. Excess insulin leads to high blood pressure.
  6. Sugar intake has a clear impact on heart diseases.
  7. Sugar makes you feel famish and could cause you to overeat.
  8. Sugar can cause your energy to spike and then crash within 30 minutes of consumption.
  9. Sugar can damage the collagen in your skin, making you appear older.
  10. Sugar contributes to your high cholesterol levels.

(h/t Prevention)

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Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.