A sweet tooth comparison can be made on Sugarstacks.com

Of course it's not an apples to apples comparison but it is a way to visualize those sugary pleasures such as soda, cereal and smoothies. SugarStacks.com gives you a precise view of just how much sugar is hiding in our food.

The idea is a relatively old one, using visual analysis to "show" individuals what it is they are eating. Dietitians around the country often use imagery such as a deck of cards to show the approximate size of a 3 oz portion of meat or a tennis ball to describe a serving size of yogurt of fresh veggies. It's a great way to provide relative visuals of how much a person takes into their body. Sugar Stacks has taken that imagery one step further in an effort to educate the population on just how much sugar we consume -- by using 4-gram sugar cubes to show exactly how much of the sweet stuff is hiding in your favourite dishes and drinks. For example, a 16 oz can of Coke contains approximately 39 grams of sugar. When you stack it up, that is about 10 sugar cubes. Imagine that in a cup of morning coffee. Other items found on the site were fruits, veggies and of course the sweet things we love so much, dessert. Did you know that a large apple or an orange contains roughly 23 grams of sugar, visually translated into 6 cubes. Four less than that Coke. One serving of red seedless grapes came in at 5 cubes, followed by the potassium pleasing tropical, the banana at 4.5 cubes. Of course the sugars found in fruit cannot necessarily be compared directly to the sugar found in a can of soda. However, sugars in general are being represented in visual format by the tiny white cubes. On the fresh fruit and veggie table, one ear of fresh corn on the cob weighed in at 1.5 cubes and 8 baby carrots, 1 tiny sugar cube. Strawberries and pineapple also were on the lower end of the spectrum. Most people safely assume that cookies and candy will be high in sugar, with some candy cashing in at nearly 12 -14 sugar cubes but did you know that a serving of Pepperidge Farm Milanos have just 2.5 cubes while a serving of dried cranberries has 6 1/4 cubes? Two servings of cookies still comes in under an apple, which in no way means that the cookies are healthier. Other items on the menu are desserts, breakfast foods and even smoothies. However, its the beverages that will leave you a bit perplexed. No wonder people rush into the convenience store for that soda fountain drink. Of course, a McDonald's chocolate shake in medium size nearly builds a pyramid at over 27 sugar cubes so give that a though the next time you have a chocolate rush. So if you are in the mood to see how your favourite treat stacks up, this website could be for you. Of course, it seems that the thick skin of the originators is withstanding some criticism about how unfair it is to compare fruits to sweets by using the same imagery. The disclaimer on their main page further explains the simplistic use of cubes. They go on to explain in response to critics, specifically in the "fruit " area:

The point we were trying to make, however, is that all fruits aren't the same. Some have more sugar than others. An apple may not, in fact, be quite as good for you as a strawberry.

As the largest consumer and importer of sugar and sweeteners, as well as a top sugar producer, it is safe to say that the United States could use some balance in an otherwise sticky situation (see PDF of sugar production projections in US). Despite the older reports claiming average sugar use by an American to be approximately 150 lbs each year, those in the sweetened industry like to refute the finding either calling them an economical analysis or misleading. However, one article added to the US government's claim stating "Well, it is also said that for every American who eats only 5 pounds of sugar each year, there is one who eats about 295 pounds per year." Serving sizes are taken directly from the USDA website and other FDA packaging information and they do not differentiate between the different sugar types. Their mission? To show the amount of sugar, source aside, being ingested. So if you were thinking that bowl of cereal kept you going because of nutrient value, you may want to think again. Visit the site on Twitter.