We expect to find sugar in foods such as cakes and cookies, but other foods such as catsup and canned vegetables are full of sugar, too. Sugars are a kind of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, cellulose, and other compounds. An essential nutrient, carbohydrates are the body's main source of both quick and sustained energy.
All carbohydrates have four calories of energy per gram of weight.
As an example, one teaspoon of sugar equals 35 calories. Sugar is an energy source for the body. This means that there are no nutrients such as minerals, fiber, or proteins. When people eat more sugar calories than their body can burn for energy, the excess sugar calories are stored as fat. There is little difference in how the body uses any form of sugar.