Depending on who you’re talking to, sugar is either the absolute greatest thing ever (my nephews), a crystallization of pure evil (my parents), or a light dusting of both (everyone else I know). But regardless of your particular feelings toward the stuff, it’s a good idea to keep track of just how much of it you’re consuming. (I promise I wasn’t looking at your gut when I said that.) A new app called Sugar Rush can help you do just that.

Using the good-old-fashioned UPC codes on your groceries, Sugar Rush can scan and investigate the sugar content of most widely available packaged foods, reporting back with a teaspoon-by-teaspoon breakdown of sugars — both the naturally occuring ones and the not so forthcoming “added’’ forms — as well as some sugar-shaming, not-so-fun-facts (Gout! Hormonal imbalance! Biliary tract cancer!)

PRO Sugar Rush is an aggressively rudimentary app, but it’s an effective way to spark consciousness of your daily sugar intake — which is probably a lot higher than it ought to be. (Pro tip: If you really want to cut sugar, just nix the packaged foods in the first place.)

CON Teaspoon measurements won’t do much for anybody fine-tuning and tracking their diets by the gram (you might have to accept the app’s nudges to download the more sophisticated Fooducate for that level of control). Sugar Rush is more in the business of gently guilting you away from the stuff. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

MICHAEL ANDOR BRODEUR

Michael Andor Brodeur can be reached at mbrodeur@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MBrodeur.