Know your limit

Now you know what to look for, how much sugar is too much? “The World Health Organisation has determined the safe level of daily sugar consumption for adults is six teaspoons,” tells Dr Popovic.

The easiest way to cut down on sugar is by looking at the nutritional information on packaged food. “Look at the sugar content per serving, remembering there’s about 4g of sugar in one teaspoon of sugar,” she suggests.

Watch out for tricks. “If a food is high in sugar, they make the serving size small so you actually have to eat two or three times that amount,” tells Dr Popovic. Once you’re certain how much sugar is in your serving, divide it by four. “If it’s a breakfast cereal, it might have 12g of sugar per serving but if you eat double that amount, you’re getting 24g of sugar – that’s six teaspoons of sugar.”

Dr Popovic also advises preparing your own food.

“Have a healthy respect for sugar,” she says. “It’s something to be savoured and not just used mindlessly on everything.”