Cod is one of the few animal proteins that appears with 0 g of sugar in standard nutrition databases. If you weigh a plain fillet and cook it without sweet ingredients, your sugar count stays at zero. The tricky part is that cod is rarely eaten completely bare. Honey glazes, teriyaki marinades, BBQ sauces, and even panko coatings can add meaningful sugar in just a few tablespoons.
This Cod Sugar Calculator starts with your cod portion in grams or ounces, then lets you add the specific sauce, glaze, or coating you used. It converts each ingredient to grams of sugar, totals everything, and shows the result per 100 g of your finished meal. You also get a quick percentage of the 50 g daily added-sugar reference value used on Nutrition Facts labels.
Use it when you are tracking macros, following a lower-sugar diet, or trying to understand whether a seafood dinner fits your daily sugar budget.
🐟 Cod Sugar Calculator
Add up the sugar in a plain cod fillet plus common coatings, glazes, and sauces.
How to Use This Tool
Start by entering the weight of your cooked or raw cod fillet. The default unit is grams, but you can switch to ounces; the calculator converts automatically. If you are weighing a typical restaurant portion, 170 g (about 6 oz) is a good starting point, while a smaller lunch portion is closer to 100 g.
Next, choose an optional sauce or coating from the dropdown. The calculator includes common cod pairings: honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, panko breadcrumbs, and plain breadcrumbs. Enter the amount in grams, not tablespoons. If you do not add any sweet ingredient, the result will correctly be 0 g of sugar.
Press Calculate to see the total sugar, the sugar per 100 g of the finished meal, and the percentage of the 50 g daily added-sugar reference. Press Reset to clear the form, or Copy Result to paste the breakdown into a food diary.
Weighing sauces is more accurate than using tablespoons because 1 tablespoon of honey weighs about 21 g while 1 tablespoon of maple syrup weighs about 20 g. A recipe that says 2 tablespoons of honey should be entered as roughly 42 g.
How the Sugar Math Works
Nutrition databases list 0 g of sugar per 100 g for raw and cooked Atlantic cod, Pacific cod, and most whitefish fillets. Cod does not store sugar the way fruits, dairy, or sweetened sauces do; its glycogen content is negligible after slaughter and is not counted as sugar in standard food-composition tables.
The calculation is:
cod sugar = cod weight (g) × 0 ÷ 100added sugar = ingredient weight (g) × sugar per 100 g of that ingredient ÷ 100total sugar = cod sugar + added sugarsugar per 100 g = total sugar ÷ total meal weight × 100daily value percentage = total sugar ÷ 50 g × 100
The 50 g figure is the Daily Value for added sugars used on U.S. Nutrition Facts labels. The World Health Organization recommends keeping added sugars below about 10 percent of daily calories, which is close to 50 g for a 2,000-calorie diet. This calculator is a planning tool, not medical advice.
Worked Example: Teriyaki Glazed Cod
You bake a 170 g cod fillet and brush it with 30 g of teriyaki sauce. The cod adds 0 g of sugar. Teriyaki sauce contains about 19 g of sugar per 100 g, so the added sugar is 30 × 19 ÷ 100 = 5.7 g. Total sugar for the meal is 5.7 g, and total weight is 200 g, so the finished dish has about 2.85 g of sugar per 100 g. That is roughly 11 percent of the 50 g daily added-sugar reference.
Now compare a honey-glazed version: 15 g of honey adds about 12.3 g of sugar, making the total meal sugar 12.3 g even though the same cod fillet is used. This is why the optional ingredient section matters more than the cod itself.
Standard Sugar Values Used
These are approximate values based on common USDA FoodData Central entries and typical commercial products. Always check the package label for the exact number, especially for marinades and premade sauces, because sugar content varies by brand.
| Ingredient | Approx. sugar per 100 g | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cod fillet | 0 g | Raw or cooked, no coating |
| Honey | 82 g | Natural sugar, still counts |
| Maple syrup | 60 g | Natural sugar |
| Brown sugar | 97 g | Use if rubbing or glazing |
| Teriyaki sauce | 19 g | Brands vary from 15–25 g |
| BBQ sauce | 28 g | Brands vary widely |
| Sweet chili sauce | 36 g | Often high on the ingredient list |
| Ketchup | 21 g | Small amounts still add up |
| Panko breadcrumbs | 5.5 g | Plain, unseasoned |
| Plain breadcrumbs | 6 g | Seasoned versions may be higher |
You can look up official cod and ingredient profiles on USDA FoodData Central.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Entering tablespoons as grams. If a marinade label lists sugar per 100 g, you need the weight of the sauce you used. A tablespoon of BBQ sauce weighs about 16–18 g, not 1 g. If you do not have a scale, estimate the weight from the volume using the typical serving size noted on the label.
- Counting marinade that is discarded. Some sugar from a marinade stays on the fish, but some is poured away. The calculator assumes the full amount is eaten. If you discard most of the marinade, your actual sugar intake will be lower.
- Thinking sea salt or lemon changes sugar. A squeeze of lemon adds only about 0.25 g of sugar, and salt adds 0 g. These do not meaningfully affect the total.
- Using coated fish values for plain cod. Commercially breaded fish products often list 5–10 g of sugar per serving because the batter contains sugar. That is not the same as a plain fillet.
If you are following a low-carb or keto plan, remember that sugar is a carbohydrate. A glaze that adds 12 g of sugar also adds 12 g of carbs to the meal, even though the cod itself is essentially carb-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cod really zero sugar? Yes, plain cod is listed with 0 g of total sugar in major nutrition databases. It contains trace glycogen but no measurable mono- or disaccharide sugars.
Does cooking change the sugar content? Cooking does not create sugar in plain fish. It only changes water content and weight. A 150 g cooked portion may have started as a heavier raw portion, but the sugar stays at zero.
What about butter, oil, salt, and herbs? Butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and most fresh herbs contain no meaningful sugar. The main sugar sources in a cod dish are sweet sauces, glazes, batters, and breading.
Where These Numbers Come From
added sugar (g) = sauce or coating weight (g) × sugar content (%) ÷ 100.
| Threshold | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cod, Atlantic, raw | 0 g total sugar, 0 g added sugar | USDA FDC |
| US Daily Reference Value, added sugars | 50 g per day | 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9) |
| US Daily Reference Value, total sugars | none exists | — |
This is the most important distinction on the page: 50 g is the reference value for added sugars only. There is no Daily Value for total sugars, and cod contributes zero of either. All of the sugar in a cod dish comes from the glaze, breadcrumbs, or sauce — so the result now reports total and added sugar separately, and only the added figure is compared with the 50 g reference.
References
- 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9) — US Daily Reference Values (the numbers behind the "% Daily Value" on food labels).
- USDA FoodData Central — enter the FDC ID shown above to see the full nutrient record.
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026 · Sources checked: 18 October 2026
Medical disclaimer
This page provides general information and an arithmetic estimate. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and nothing here creates a clinician–patient relationship. Estimates are built from population averages and will not match every individual. Do not delay seeking professional advice because of something you read here. If you think you may have a medical emergency, contact your local emergency number.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides general educational estimates for informational purposes only. It is not medical, nutritional, veterinary, or professional advice, and it is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified professional. Individual needs vary with health status, medications, and personal circumstances. Always consult a physician, registered dietitian, or other qualified professional before making decisions about your health, diet, or your pet’s care.
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