Be aware of daily sugar intake

TOO much sugar can lead to weight gain and a plethora of health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. So how much sugar should we be eating?

The recommended amount of sugar a day is between six and eight teaspoons, but for children it’s much less.

The World Health Organisation recommends we consume no more than 10 per cent of our daily calorie intake as sugar. This is 25g or six teaspoons for women and 35g or eight teaspoons for men.

Children aged two and under should have just three teaspoons per day, kids aged three to six should have no more than four teaspoons a day and kids between seven and 10 should have no more than six teaspoons.

Sugar found naturally in milk, fruit and vegetables doesn’t count as free sugars so we don’t need to cut down on these.

Nutritionist Sarah Flower gave her top tips for cutting down on sugar in your day-today life.

● Swap your sugary cereal for a cooked breakfast such as poached eggs and grilled bacon.

● Eat your fruit rather than drink it – the additional fibre consumed slows down the digestion of the fructose.

● Encourage your children to drink water or sugar-free cordials instead of fruit juices and never give your baby juice, especially in a bottle.

● Eat natural yoghurt and combine with fresh fruit, berries, nuts and seeds.

● You can switch to using a natural sweetener that has no impact on blood sugars or insulin. The Sun

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