Sweet clarity
FINDING AND AVOIDING HIDDEN SUGAR IN FOOD
TELLY star and fitness guru Davina Mccall, right, has vowed to cut out refined sugar this month as she admits: “I’ve massively fallen off the sugar-free wagon and it’s ugly.” It’s currently Sugar Awareness Week, highlighting the fact that we eat too much of the sweet stuff.
CEREAL OFFENDER: One bowl of cereal can contain as much sugar as five biscuits, according to a study by Action On Sugar. Popular breakfast Kellogg’s Frosties is one of the most sugary, with 11g per 30g portion. There are similar levels in Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. Be on the look-out for sugar lurking in muesli, granola and healthy-looking cereal bars too.
Sweet tip: Weetabix has just 1.6g sugar per two-biscuit serving, while Shredded Wheat has even less. Try sweetening up your cereals using fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or sliced bananas, or opting for plain homemade porridge.
SAUCY TRUTH: While some pasta sauces can contribute to your five-a-day, they can also contain as much sugar per serving as a slice of cake, while a recent survey by DW Fitness found they could have similar levels to pizza.
Sweet tip: Swap your usual sauce such as Dolmio Bolognese Sauce at 7.1g sugar per 125g portion for a less sweet variety such as Dolmio No Added Sugar Bolognese Sauce at 4.6g sugar per serving. And lower price doesn’t always mean more sugar – Tesco Everyday Value Pasta sauce has just 2.5g sugar per 110g portion.
CANNY CONDIMENTS: Did you
According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the average adult eats roughly 12 teaspoons of the stuff a day – double the amount they should. Kids also eat too much. People aged 11 and over should stick to 30g of free sugars – those added to products or found in honey and
know that there’s up to a teaspoon of sugar in a tablespoon of ketchup or brown sauce? Mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauces can also pack surprising amounts of sugar too. Tiptree Ketchup has 4.6g per 15g serving while Heinz Tomato Ketchup has 3.4g sugar in a 15g serving and HP Sauce has 3.5g per 15g.
Sweet tip: Go for a no-added sugar ketchup, such as Heinz’s version which comes in at just 0.7g, while Daddies Brown Sauce has just 2.5g per 15g serving. Real Good Ketchup fruit juice. Over-consumption is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
We know that chocolate and fizzy drinks can contain lots of sugar, but it can lurk in unexpected places, as JAMES MOORE reveals…
– with all naturally occurring sugars – has 0.9g per 15g.
JUICE THE JOB? Surprisingly, even 100% unsweetened fruit juice also contains sugars we should be trying to cut down on, but it does contain useful vitamins and minerals. A 150ml glass of Tropicana Orange Juice has 13g of sugar. The same amount of Coke contains 16g sugar. “Healthy” smoothies can also pack a lot of sugar.
Sweet tip: Stick to 150ml a day of juice, which is about a glassful. It counts as one of your five-a-day but only one portion. You can also dilute fruit juices with water. Innocent recently launched a range of smoothies that are 30% lower in natural sugar.
DAIRY’S DEAR: You probably knew ice cream contained sugar, but you could pay a price from eating too many yogurts, too. Some Muller Corners have levels equivalent to a Milky Bar and even fat-free yogurts, such as Total Greek 0% Fat Free Yogurt With Honey, has 18g per 100g.
Sweet tip: Always check the labels. Yeo Valley Natural Yoghurt has 4.9g sugar per 100g, for instance. For kids Petits Filous no-added-sugar options are a good bet.