How much sugar are you really eating?

Despite efforts to get us to eat less sugar, our intake remains much too high. This week the government announced that pre-packaged milkshakes and coffees are the latest products to be hit by a sugar tax — the levy on drinks with a sugar content of more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, a threshold which previously affected mainly fizzy drinks. The trouble is that much of the sugar we consume is often hidden in seemingly innocent everyday foods and is hard to avoid.

Sugars that occur naturally in foods such as fruit and milk are not part of the problem for our waistlines or health. It is the “free sugars”, those added to food, that we really need to be cutting down on. Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine (Barts and the London) and chair of the campaigning group Action on Sugar (AoS), says that “foods containing free sugars often have very little or no nutritional benefit”. He adds that there is no physiological need whatsoever for free sugars in our diets. Yet sugar creeps into the ingredients list of not only ultra-processed foods but also many seemingly healthy-looking products.

The government recommends that no more than 5 per cent of our total daily energy intake is derived from free sugars. This would be the equivalent of about seven sugar cubes for most adults. Yet we typically consume about double that amount according to the British Nutrition Foundation, which states that we get 9-12 per cent of our daily calories from added sugars. Last year research on sugar intake by the Oral Health Foundation (OHF) showed that 79 per cent of people consume up to three sugary snacks every day. We all know that too much sugar is linked to high rates of tooth decay and obesity, but according to AoS there are many other reasons to cut down.

Consuming excess sugary drinks is linked to a raised risk of type 2 diabetes and too much sugar in the diet might also contribute to high blood pressure, some cancers and non-alcoholic liver disease, the campaign group warns. Rhiannon Lambert, a registered nutritionist and author of The Unprocessed Plate (DK), says we all need to be more sugar-aware. “Eating too much added sugar can contribute to blood-sugar instability and energy crashes and, in the long term, may increase the risk of weight gain and chronic illness,” she says. “We shouldn’t be too fearful of sugar, but we do need to make efforts to cut down if we eat a lot of it.” Here’s how.

Clockwise from left: San Pellegrino Limonata has 14.7g of sugar per 330ml, while Dorset Cereals Oat Granola has 7.4g per 45g serving; flavoured low-fat yoghurts and many supermarket breads have added sugar

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Know your limit (it’s less than you think)

The NHS says that adults should have no more than 30g of free added sugars a day, which is the equivalent of a small glass of fruit juice and a flavoured yoghurt. Children should get even less, with government recommendations set at no more than 24g (6 sugar cubes) for 7 to 11-year-olds and no more than 19g daily (5 sugar cubes) for 4 to 6-year-olds.

Learn how to interpret labels

Checking food labels for sugar is no easy task as manufacturers can use a range of terms to describe sugary ingredients. Added sugar can be listed as corn sugar, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose glucose syrup, invert sugar, isoglucose, levulose, maltose, molasses, honey, concentrated fruit juice and sucrose.

“If more than one type of sugar is listed in the same product, it means sugar has been added in various forms to enhance taste, preserve shelf life, or mask the absence of natural flavour,” Lambert says.

When checking a label, look for the “carbohydrates (of which sugars)” figure, which shows the total amount of sugars from all sources, including milk, fruit and added sugars. “While this figure doesn’t distinguish between naturally occurring and free sugars, it helps you compare products for sweetness,” Lambert says. “As a guide, high-sugar foods contain more than 22.5g per 100g and low-sugar products have 5g or less per 100g.”

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Are artificial sweeteners a better choice?

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose crop up in everything from chewing gum and sweets to ready meals and drinks. Although they taste sweet, they don’t provide the calories found in sugar. “They work by mimicking the structure of sugar molecules so that they can fit into the sweetness receptors on your tongue,” Lambert says. “They trigger signals to the brain that tell it you are eating something sweet.”

Although safe to consume, in 2023 the WHO advised against using non-sugar sweeteners to help with weight loss. This followed a review of evidence that not only showed they provided no long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children but suggested that there may be potential unwanted side-effects from their long-term use including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

“The advice is to reduce the consumption of artificial sweeteners and to get a sugar kick from foods that contain it naturally such as fruit,” Lambert says.

What about sugar alternatives added to foods?

When checking labels, many people look out for alternatives to white sugar in the belief that they are a healthier choice. These include palm sugar, coconut sugar, blossom nectar, date sugar or paste and apple puree, all of which sound as if they should be superior to standard table sugar.

However, while some do contain marginally higher amounts of vitamins and minerals they are still classed as the added sugar we need to reduce in our diets. “These sugars are naturally derived but have to undergo heavy processing to reach a state where they can be used as a sweetener,” Lambert says. “Multiple forms of sugar in one product can add up quickly and all count towards our total sugar intake.”

Agave syrup, extracted from the sap of the agave plant native to South America, has been hailed as a healthy sugar swap. But its composition — it comprises 80 per cent fructose and 20 per cent glucose — raises its own health concerns. “Fructose is mainly metabolised by the liver and when consumed in high amounts there is a possibility it can strain the liver,” Lambert says. “There’s no evidence that any sugar alternatives are good for us in excess.”

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The sugary drinks to avoid — some coffees have as much sugar as cola

It should be no surprise that milkshakes and lattes are to be hit by the sugar tax given that they were among the sugar-laden drinks found to be contributing up to 45 per cent of our excess sugar intake, according to the OHF report last year. There are obvious offenders such as cola (with as much as 9 teaspoons of sugar per 330ml can), but also less likely sugar contributors, including the coffee chain products hit by the latest sugar tax. “Some coffees and premium sparkling drinks contain as much sugar as a can of cola,” Lambert says.

The supermarket version of Starbucks’ Caramel Frappuccino has a sugar content of 9.4g (over two teaspoons) per 100ml while Starbucks’ Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino (250ml) contains 23.8g of sugar, almost four fifths of the recommended daily upper-limit. A premium San Pellegrino lemonade contains about 4.5g (over a teaspoon) of sugar per 100ml.

Some pre-made smoothies are also high in sugar, and claims that these are “only natural sugars” can be misleading. “Blending the fruit means the sugar naturally contained within its cell walls becomes ‘free’ sugar,” Lambert explains. “Due to the quantity of fruit used to make each drink, the sugar content can be high and a 300ml bottle of pre-made smoothie may contain up to 30g or seven teaspoons of sugar.”

The ‘healthy’ snacks that are high in sugar

Unsurprisingly, cakes and biscuits provide a significant amount of added sugar, and a single cake, chocolate bar, plus one or two biscuits can add up to a whopping 92.5g (or nearly 23 teaspoons) of added sugar, according to AoS. But opting for healthy-sounding choices doesn’t necessarily mean you get less sugar. A Nature Valley Crunchy Oats ’n Honey bar contains 11g of sugar (almost three teaspoons) per two-bar pack. And last year, a survey by AoS found that some of the more virtuous-sounding cake options were among the worst sugar offenders, with Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From Gluten Blueberry Muffins containing 28.5g (or seven teaspoons) of sugar and Asda Free From Blueberry muffins providing 23g (almost six teaspoons) of sugar per serving. In contrast, two Morrisons Fruit Shorties fruit biscuits contain 3g of sugar (under a teaspoon) and a couple of rich tea biscuits provide 1.8g (less than half a teaspoon) per serving.

The muesli and granolas that are loaded with sugar

We all know that some cereals are notoriously sugary with Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes containing about 10g (2.5 teaspoons) of sugar in a modest 30g serving. But even cereals perceived as “wholesome”, such as muesli and granola, can contain more sugar than we think. For example, Jordans Crunchy Oat Granola contains about 20g of sugar per 100g, and chocolate, honey or maple-syrup sweetened granolas can be even higher. “Sugar-free options, such as plain porridge oats or Weetabix with added fruit, are much better choices because you are getting natural sweetness, and added fibre and nutrients, from the fruit,” says Lambert.

Low-fat yoghurts can be full of sugar

Yoghurts are seemingly a healthy choice and yet some fruit yoghurts can pack in more sugar than a dessert. “A lot of yoghurts labelled that they ‘contain fruit’ also contain significant quantities of sugar,” Lambert says. “The issue with many is that the sugar in fruit is no longer considered ‘natural’ because it has been blended up to create a puree before being added to the yoghurt, so that when it enters our body, the sugar is much more easily absorbed, and behaves more like an added sugar, the type we need to cut down on.”

Low-fat flavoured yoghurts often provide the highest sugar content. “When fat is removed from yoghurt it loses flavour and sugar is often added to make it more palatable,” Lambert says. “Your best bet is to have natural yoghurt topped with chopped or whole fresh fruit.”

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The plant milks to be careful of

Unless they are labelled as “unsweetened”, many cow’s milk alternatives have as much as 4-7g of added sugar per 200ml serving to improve their taste. These include soya, almond milk (Almond Breeze Original contains 2.5g sugar per 100ml) and oat milk (Oatly Barista contains about 3.5g of sugar per 100ml). “Many have added sugar or syrup to improve their taste during production,” Lambert says.

The savoury foods with hidden sugar

Breads and wraps: soft white sliced bread, brioche bread, wraps or sandwich thins often contain added sugar to improve flavour and softness.

Condiments: tomato ketchup, barbecue and sweet chilli sauces often contain very high levels of added sugars to balance acidity and preserve texture. “A single tablespoon of ketchup contains about 4g of sugar, and most people use more than that per serving,” Lambert says.

Pasta and stir-fry sauces: ready-made and pasta sauces and stir-fry sauces can contain up to 10g of sugar per serving, which is one third of the recommended daily limit for an adult.

Ready meals: even savoury ready meals, including those marketed as being “lighter” or lower in calories, contain hidden sugars. “A ‘lighter’ sweet and sour chicken ready meal can contain more than half of an adult’s recommended sugar intake,” Lambert says.

Soups: many tinned and ready-made soups contain considerable amounts of sugar. Even fresh premium brandscan provide more than three teaspoons of sugar per 300ml serving. “Check the labels as, much like ready-made sauces, soups can have sugar added for flavour,” Lambert says.

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