Smoothies
Often fruit smoothies are seen as a healthy drink or snack. But these innocent looking drinks are actually loaded with free sugars. Once the fruit is blended the natural sugars are released from within the cell walls of the fruit and become ‘free sugars’. Any added sugar is also counted as free sugars.
Tomato ketchup
The tabletop condiment of choice for many us and sadly one of the kiddies favourites. Tomato ketchup has a surprisingly high concentration of sugar. But a tablespoon of tomato sauce equals one teaspoon of sugar! So take it easy with the sauce and limit children’s consumption.
Yoghurt
The BBC reported on a Leeds University study of almost 900 yoghurts – with some containing more sugar per 100g than cola! Yoghurt desserts were top of containing the most sugar with an average of 16.4g per 100g. Surprisingly the second most sugary product was organic yoghurts with a typical 13.1g per 100g. Children’s yoghurts typically contained 10.8g per 100g, the equivalent of more than two sugar teaspoons of sugar, the study found.
Breakfast
Breakfast cereal has come a long way the past several years and actually doesn’t contain as much sugar as it used to. However, some processed cereals are still high in sugar so it’s always important to read the label. But what are other breakfast alternatives? Smoothies, pastries or maybe a cereal bar? All of these are high in sugar. better alternatives are oat-based breakfasts such as porridge or eggs on toast.
Takeaway food
Takeaway food can contain a high level of added sugar. Takeaway Chinese food can contain a shocking amount of sugar. With the popular sweet and sour chicken dish containing around 90 grams of sugar – that’s 10 teaspoons! Taking a closer look at takeaway Chinese food it’s clear to see that it’s the sauces that rack up the sugar content. So choose with caution! But it isn’t just Chinese takeaway that contains a lot of sugar. There are several Indian dishes that are high in sugar such as Chicken Korma and a McDonald’s classic beef burger and strawberry milkshake contains a whooping 67grams of sugars!
Energy bars
Energy bars are often seen as a good grab and go snack when you need energy. However, the shop-bought version of energy bars often contains around 25 grams of sugar per 100 grams. Not so healthy. If you or you’re family can’t live without an energy bar then a healthier alternative is to make low sugar energy bars at home.
Takeaway drinks
Do you know how much sugar your favourite takeaway drink contains? The regular Starbuck Cappucino contains 11.4 grams of sugar – nearly 3 teaspoons. This often surprises people as you might assume it contains 0 sugar and add a teaspoon or two, significantly increasing your consumption. If you were to treat yourself to a hot chocolate, then the Starbucks classic hot chocolate in regular size contains 22 grams of sugar – 5 and a half teaspoons. If you opt for something a bit more indulgent let’s say a large Signature caramel hot chocolate using semi-skimmed milk then you would be indulging in 89.1 grams of sugar! That’s 22 teaspoons of sugar! Keep your sugar low by choosing a drink in it’s simplest version e.g. americano, breakfast tea etc, never add syrup or sugar and if you do indulge then choose the smallest size possible.
Sugar guidelines
Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).
