Many lowfat food items contain significant numbers of calories in the form of sugar, a fact of which consumers may not be aware. The consumption of soft drinks is another way that sugar intake has increased over the last decade. A 12oz soft drink usually contains from 8-12 teaspoons of sugar. Drinking two or three soft drinks in a day can really increase calorie intake. In addition, soft drinks often replace milk as a beverage among children and teens, decreasing the availability of important nutrients such as calcium and phosphorus.