New Map Shows Where Kids Eat the Most Sugar per Week

It is no secret that sugar does more harm than good – especially for children! Studies show a negative impact on learning, memory, and academic performance. It is also linked to obesity, fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and gout. Of course, cutting down is far easier said than done, especially when 70% of packaged foods and 80% of kids’ foods have added sugar! Of course, a sweet treat now and then most likely won’t have a long-term harmful impact, but it can be hard to place boundaries on sugar, especially with children. The American Heart Association reports that American children consume an average of 81 grams of added sugar per day – that is 65 pounds of added sugar per year! Where do children in the U.S. eat the most sugar? The team at MainStreetSmiles.com conducted an intriguing survey of parents on how many sugary snacks their children consume per week and day.

Click below to zoom

Do any of the results surprise you? I was honestly quite shocked by Pennsylvania, where parents reported an average of 3.266 sugary snacks consumed per day! I did a little digging on why this might be and found a few possible explanations. Pennsylvania is known as the “snack capital of the world”, the Pretzel Belt, and the Snack Belt – it is home to Hershey’s, Utz, Snyder, Just Born (Peeps, Mike & Ike’s), Breyer’s, and other major snack companies. Overall, it has a thriving snack food scene! While snacks are wonderful, moderation is key. Check out the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s tips on how to reduce sugar in your child’s diet. Overall, I love the color scheme and adorable header – I just want to take a bite out of those letters! The proportionate donuts are such a clever way to visualize the rankings. Fun and functional!