There is a lot of information available on sugars and making sense of it all can be a little overwhelming. Is it necessary to cut out all sugars, or just some? Should you pay more attention to where your sugar intake is coming from? Let’s take a closer look.

What are sugars?

Sugars are forms of carbohydrates. They are broken down by the body to provide energy, which is then either used straight away or stored temporarily. If stored long term, and you keep eating high sugar foods without exercising, weight gain will occur. Sugars are generally indicated by an “–ose” suffix, so on food labels it would be glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, etc.

Is there room for sugars in a balanced diet?

The World Health Organisation recommends limiting total energy from sugar to below 5%, which is roughly 25g of sugar a day, regardless of the source. It helps, then, to choose where your sugar intake is coming from and to rather choose sources of naturally occurring sugar such as lactose (found in milk and yoghurt) or fructose (found in fruit and certain root vegetables) These sources also supply you with vitamins, minerals and fibre and so have a more beneficial effect on your health than table sugar would. Avoiding excess sugar, or added sugar, is very important – typically this is found in sweet products such as sweets, chocolates, fizzy drinks, products made with processed high fructose corn syrup, etc.

How can you tell if a product has a lot of sugar?

It definitely pays to learn to read food labels so that you can make informed decisions about the products that you buy. If sugar is listed within the first five ingredients in the ingredient list, it makes up a large proportion of the product. Keep an eye out for sugars in products that are associated with being healthy, such as energy bars and muesli, as their sugar content is generally pretty high.

How can you reduce your sugar intake?

    • Use fruit to provide sweetness, for example as toppings for desserts or mixed into yoghurts
    • Use plain yoghurt instead of ice cream or sweetened yoghurts
    • Opt for dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate
    • Reduce fizzy drink intake
    • Dilute juices with water
    • Use cinnamon on porridge instead of sugar
    • If you make your own muesli, bake the oats without oil, honey or sugar for a few minutes and then add sweet, nutrient-rich foods such as raisins, goji berries or coconut
    • Add milk (or milk alternatives) and nuts or seeds to smoothies to up the protein intake so that your smoothie is better balanced nutritionally
    • Use honey in cooking or in your tea. Keep in mind that it is still a source of sugar so use small amounts
    • Eat dried fruit in moderation; better yet, have a handful mixed with some nuts to make a well balanced snack that provides energy, protein and a little unsaturated fat.

 

Sources

http://www.adsa.org.za
http://www.who.int/en