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Let’s make a confession. We all drool over sweets!

So, it's not just you. Every age group exceeds the UK’s daily recommended sugar intake limit. Hardly does a day ever pass without some calorie and fat-rich delicacies being offered.

Foods high in sugar and calories are more alluring than ever. A small amount of sugar poses no health risk to most people. However, the issue arises when we regularly cross the UK's sugar daily intake limit. Everyone is aware of the health benefits of reducing their intake of refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.

How, therefore, can you reduce your sugar daily intake in a significant way without giving up your favourite flavours and foods? Read on and unwind all the solutions.

Know your Sugar and daily intakes

Since the sugar content of common foods and beverages has skyrocketed recently, present generations consume more sugar than their ancestors did (even if they don't plan to).

To answer, what foods are the worst offenders, and how can we limit the amount of sugar we consume? Let’s look at what sugars (Natural, Free and Added sugars) are, the UK’s daily recommended sugar intake, and what threats they impose on our health.

You can consume all your favourite flavours by seriously looking at the UK’s daily recommended sugar intake limit and making up a mind to follow it.

What is Sugar?

Small carbohydrate molecules called sugars appear naturally in several food items and are used by the brain and body as fuel. When sugar is extracted from food, it can be processed to create a range of sugars with various flavours and properties.

Sugar boosts flavour. Additionally, it stimulates our brain's reward systems, resulting in the production of dopamine - a happy chemical.

• What is the caloric content of a teaspoon of sugar?
  • Sugar contains 4 calories (kcal)/gm
  • Sugar is 4g in 1 teaspoon making it 16 kcal per teaspoon 

Types of Sugar:

Monosaccharides (single sugars) like glucose, fructose, and galactose as well as disaccharides (two monosaccharides bonded together) like sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and maltose are the most prevalent sugars present in food products.

We are all aware that we should restrict our intake of sugar, but what exactly are "free" sugars and how can we prevent overindulgence?

What are Added and Free Sugars?

• Refined sugars used in food preparation are referred to as "added sugars." Foods that have been processed, such cookies, cakes, and sweets, are sources of added sugar.
  
  
• 'Added sugars' and 'natural sugars' from honey, syrups, fruit and vegetable juices, and juice extracts are referred to as 'free sugars'. These are free since they are not contained within the food's cells.

Fruit, vegetables, and milk all contain sugars, but they don't appear to be harmful to human health because they also contain additional nutrients like fibre.

However, when the fruit is juiced, the sugars leave the fruit's cells and become free sugars. Fibre is lost, making it simpler to eat more sugar without noticing it. Even while you wouldn't eat four oranges in one sitting, you could drink one glass of orange juice and not feel full.

Limiting added and free sugars is recommended.

Free Sugars may go by number of names:

In the current food landscape, picking items that seem to be "healthy" is getting out of hand. Despite exceeding the UK’s sugar daily intake limit, several goods are advertised as healthy.

Following is the list of common aliases of added sugar:

• Corn sugar, Coconut sugar
• Glucose, Dextrose, Fructose, Sucrose, Maltose, Levulose
• Honey
• Maple syrup, Agave syrup
• Levulose
• Molasses

Make it a habit to read the ingredient list on the food you consume so that you don’t cross the UK’s daily recommended sugar intake limit. Reconsider adding sugar in your shopping cart if it appears in the first three or four items.

What portion of fruit is sugar?

• High sugar fruits:
  • Grapes (16g sugar per 100g)
  • Lychees (15g sugar per 100g)
  • Pomegranate, Mango (14g sugar per 100g)
  • Cherries (13g sugar per 100g)
  • Bananas (12g sugar per 100g)
    
    
• Medium sugar fruits:
  • Oranges (9g sugar per 100g)
  • Apples, Pears (10g sugar per 100g)
  • Nectarines, Peaches, and Papaya (8g sugar per 100g)
    
    
• Low sugar fruits:
  • Raspberries (4.4g sugar per 100g)
  • Blackberries (4.9g sugar per 100g)
  • Strawberries (4.9g sugar per 100g)

How much Sugar is too much?

Health professionals have become even more concerned about the problems directly connected to excessive sugar consumption because sugar can be an unwanted and unhealthy source of calories.

Health effects of Sugar:

• Sugar is often referred to as ‘empty calories’ because natural sugar itself contains no nutrients. The truth is that a sugar-rich diet impacts your health negatively.
  
  
• Sugar gives the body “empty calories,” or energy without any nutritional value. We eat more as a result because we never feel full or satisfied. This increases your chance of gaining weight, developing certain diseases, and going through cycles of high and low energy, leaving you exhausted and needing more sugar.
  
  
• Consuming twice the UK’s sugar daily intake limit frequently can cause tooth decay. The most frequent cause of hospital admission for children between the ages of five and nine was tooth decay, according to a Royal College of Surgeons survey released earlier this year.
  
  
• Obesity and type 2 diabetes are becoming more prevalent and have detrimental effects. Dental caries and type 2 diabetes are both directly linked to the consumption of free sugars and beverages. High blood pressure, certain malignancies, and non-alcoholic liver disease may all be associated with excessive sugar consumption.

Beware of these added sugar-rich foods:

1. Breakfast cereals and cereal bars
2. Sauces
3. Condiments (Ketchup, salsa, BBQ, chilli and mint sauce, and mustard)
4. Fruit-flavoured beverages
5. Fizz-full drinks
6. Dressing for salad
7. Alcohol

Sugars and nutrient profiles

A recommendation level for total sugars, which includes sugars that are present naturally in fruit and other components, can be found on the back of food packages.

Unfortunately, the amount of "free sugars" is not often disclosed on nutrition labels, which typically list the total amount of sugar in a food. You can compare product labels and select items with less sugar overall.

Look for the Carbohydrates figure of sugar. Approximately 22.5g of total sugar per 100g is high. Whereas low - 5g or less of total sugars per 100g.

Keeping an eye out for foods with hidden sugars is also crucial. Many foods that we don't think of as sweet, such as bread, pasta sauce, and ketchup, can contain added sugar. To find out how much sugar is in packaged foods, always read the label.

Front packaging labels:

On the front of certain food packages, there are labels with nutritional information. This contains recommendations on reference intakes (RIs) for specific nutrients, which can include sugar, as well as labels that employ the red, amber, and green color-coding system.

You can quickly determine whether a food has a high, medium, or low sugar content thanks to labels that use color coding:

• Red indicates a high sugar content (more than 22.5g of sugar per 100g or more than 27g per serving).
• Amber: A medium-range sugar content (greater than 5g but less than or equivalent to 22.5g per 100g).
• Green denotes low sugar content (5g or less of sugar per 100g).

The recommended daily intake of total sugars is 90g, including 30g of "free sugars."

Dietary sources of Free Sugars:

Sugary drinks, sugar-sweetened cereals, confectionery, table sugar, and fruit juice are the main sources of free sugars in UK diets. Age does, however, affect the relative quantities of the primary food sources. 

Majority of the population consumes cereals and cereal products, such as cakes, biscuits, and pastries, but milk and milk products are more important to young children's intakes than to older children or adults, and non-alcoholic beverages are more important to 11 to 18-year-olds than to other age groups.

Existing status of free sugars daily intake in UK

Many of us may be consuming too many calories because of our love affair with sugar, which is one of the reasons behind our ever-growing waistlines.

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) rolling program, a continuous survey of food and nutrition in adults and children aged 18 months and above, provides nationally representative data on free sugars consumption of the UK population. Results from the rolling program (2016-2019) indicate:

• Overall current free sugars daily intake in all is approximately twice the 5% recommendation.
  
  
• In adults, average intakes are higher in men (55.5g/day) than women (44.0g/day) aged 19-64 years.
  
  
• On average, highest intakes are in children aged 4-10 years (12.1% of dietary energy intake) and 11–18-year-olds (12.3% of dietary energy).
  
  
• Sugar-rich drinks provide 17% of the free sugar’s intake of 11–18-year-olds, on average, 6% in younger children and 10% adults.
  
  
• Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks was lower for all groups in years 9 to 11 (2016-2019) of the NDNS compared to years 7 & 8, although this change was not significant for adolescent boys (11-18 years) and older adults (aged 65+ years).
  
  

UK’s daily recommended sugar intake guidelines

Remember that the naturally occurring sugars in fruit, vegetables, and dairy products are not included in your daily sugar allowance.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) proposes following recommendations on the consumption of free sugars. (“The science of sugar”)

• No more than 5% of your daily calorie intake from food and drink should come from free sugars
  
  
• Children aged 4 to 6 years shouldn't consume more than 19g or 5 teaspoons of free sugars per day
  
  
• Children aged 7 to 10 shouldn't consume more than 24g or 6 teaspoons of free sugars per day
  
  
• Children aged 11 years or more, as well as adults, shouldn’t consume more than 30g or 7 teaspoons of free sugar per day
  
  
• Sugar (or salt) should not be added to food for infants and young children, and sugary drinks should be avoided.
  
  

Knowing which meals and beverages are rich in added sugar will help you avoid them and stay inside your daily limit of 30g. To put this into context, an average 330ml can of fizzy drink can have up to 35g or 9 teaspoons of free sugar.

Tips on how to cut down on sugar:

Some tips for reducing your daily sugar intake include reading food labels, choosing unsweetened foods and drinks, and swapping sugary snacks for healthier options like fruit or nuts.

1. Opt for water over sweetened beverages. One of the main causes of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay is sugary beverages.
   
   
2. Pick a low-sugar beverage if you want to treat yourself to a bubbly drink.
   
   
3. Avoid keeping sweetened beverages and snacks at home.
   
   
4. Limit smoothie and fruit juice quantities to 150 ml daily and diluted with water.
   
   
5. Opt for porridge or eggs and toast for breakfast instead of sugar-filled cereals.
   
   
6. For dessert, go for yogurt and fresh fruit rather than sweet things.

So, if you cut added sugar out, what are your alternate options?

Prof. Susan Jebb of the University of Oxford remarked, "We need to cut back on sugar intake but shouldn't switch to fat." "Fruit and vegetables should make up a larger portion of our plates, along with more whole grains and fibre-rich carbohydrates."

Policy actions to cater for UK’s daily recommended sugar intake

Since a high consumption of free sugars is linked to poor diet, obesity, and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, it is a public health concern. Monitoring the population's dietary intake of sugars is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of governmental policies to reduce sugar consumption.

Some policy actions that can help promote the UK’s daily recommended sugar intake include implementing sugar taxes, creating public awareness campaigns, and improving food labeling laws.

Conclusion

Cutting down on sugary drinks is an easy way to reduce your sugar intake and improve your health. The most important thing to keep in mind is that eating a balanced diet is the key to good health. Foods that are indulgent, such as those high in fat and/or sugar, can be savoured, but only on rare occasions and not every day. Majority of the foods in our diets should be healthy, wholesome staples.

Understanding the UK's daily recommended sugar intake is an important step towards a healthier lifestyle. By cutting down on sugary drinks, processed foods, and hidden sugars, we can balance our sugar intake and reduce our risk of health problems.

Unlock a healthier, happier you with low-sugar living.

If you want to discover more about the connection between sugar and sleep, check out this blog: Does sugar before bed keep you awake?