Nutrition experts at Tufts University say the average American consumes about 30 teaspoons of “added sugar” (that is, sugar not found naturally in food) a day.

That’s a heck of a lot if you believe, as we do, that refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup are deadly metabolic poisons, and just 2 teaspoons of them throws your body into biochemical chaos for several hours. Or that honey and other natural sweeteners aren’t a whole lot better and should be used sparingly.

Although the sugar industry keeps trying to convince the government and consumers that any form of sugar is safe in any amount, they’re fighting a losing battle. The science saying otherwise has become so overwhelming that even the conservative American Heart Association now agrees that added sugar is implicated in obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. They recommend no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women and 9 for men. Last year, government Dietary Guidelines, for the first time recommended limiting added sugars, although they still permit up to 10% of daily calories (about 12½ teaspoons in a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet).

But, you may wonder, how could anyone be consuming 30 teaspoons of sugar a day—something must be wrong with the statistics!

Nothing wrong with the statistics. According to a new study, about 60% of the American diet is now composed of “ultra-processed foods,” and these contribute about 90% of the added sugars found in our diets.

“Ultra-processed” is a whole new dimension of the bizarro world of fake food-like substances. Simple processing includes anything you might do in your own kitchen; ultra-processing includes artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, stabilizers and other additives that mask undesirable qualities, enhance taste (and addictive qualities), extend shelf-life and imitate real food.

So although adding sugar is something someone might do in their own kitchen, adding tons of it to extend shelf-life, mask off-tastes, and create food addictions is something only our frightening food industry would dream up.

The bulk of these ultra-processed, sugar-laden foods are what you might expect—beverages, desserts and sweet snacks. Cola drinks often contain 9 to 12 teaspoons a can, as do bottled iced teas; even “enhanced waters” can contain 8 teaspoons.

But, according to Tufts, an estimated 75% of packaged foods in the US contain added sugar, including foods that don’t necessarily taste sweet, like breads, salty snacks, tomato sauce, salad dressings, ketchup and barbecue sauces, breakfast cereals (not the sugar-coated kind) and frozen entrees.

The study concluded that a good strategy for avoiding obesity and other disease would be to avoid processed foods. Sounds like a plan! But if you do buy some packaged foods, check the label for sugar content. One teaspoon is equal to 4 grams. Although label amounts don’t distinguish between sugar naturally found in the food and sugar added, if it’s high, pass it by!