Just how easy is it to go over the recommended daily intake of sugar in a day?  According to Jody Chanel, a registered dietician with Southern Health Southern Health-Santé Sud, it doesn't take much at all.

Chanel said all sugars, whether cane, agave syrup, honey, white and brown sugar, they all have the same amount of calories in a teaspoon, the only difference is the process to refine them.

"When looking at the label, know that 4 grams of sugar is a teaspoon of sugar.  So when you're looking at a granola bar for example and the label says 12 grams of sugar, that means there are three teaspoons in that bar," said Chanel.  "For a can of pop with 40 grams of sugar that equals 10 teaspoons.  For most of us, we should be getting no more than about 6 grams of sugar in a day."

As for the recommended daily amount of 6 grams, Chanel explains that doesn't include the fruits and vegetables we eat in a day.  She notes the sugar that comes in fruit also comes with fibre and water and our body digests that sugar differently than sugars in processed foods, and things like pop.

As for salt, Chanel said it's the same thing as sugar.  She said the only difference is where the salt comes from, adding the sodium content is the same whether it's mined salt, or sea salt, which is evaporated sea water.
    
Chanel says according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, a person needs 1,300 to 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.

The convenience of processed foods over the years has increased the danger of too much salt and sugar in many of our diets.  Some of those products we find on store shelves are marketed with claims of certain salt and sugar sources being better for us than the other.

"The danger of claiming one salt is healthier than another, is that people start to use that salt more freely," said Chanel.  "High sodium leads to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.  There is no difference in all the types of salts in regards to the sodium content."

When choosing what to eat, Chanel recommends checking labels for grams of sugar and milligrams of sodium, and don't worry about where they come from.  "It doesn't matter where these products are sourced out of, it matters how much sodium and sugar are in the product."

Chanel says in the end, you may want to put the labels back on the shelf and cook at home with real fresh ingredients, choosing herbs and spices to flavour your foods instead of the processed products.