How much sugar do you actually eat?

You’ve finally kicked the dessert-after-dinner habit. There’s no way you could be eating too much sugar, right? Well, not so fast. While cutting out sugar bombs like cake and candy is a big step toward a healthier diet, there are plenty of other sneaky foods that contain huge amounts of added sugar. That includes everything from “all-natural” protein bars and fruit juice to high-fructose corn syrup found in processed foods.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the average American consumes around 17 teaspoons of sugar daily. That would be around 270 calories. Not only does added sugar contribute extra calories to your diet, but it also has no essential nutrients to aid your body work at its best.

Some preliminary research has found that a high-sugar diet causes blood sugar levels to spike, increasing compounds and free radicals that boost inflammation. Over time, eating too much sugar raises your risk of obesity, which can then increase your risk of diabetes. In fact, there is evidence that too much sugar can also increase your risk of certain conditions like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

So how do you know when you’re eating too much sugar? What are the symptoms? Here are 8 signs your body says you’re having too much of it!