Everyone knows that sugar is contributing to obesity. And you are probably trying to reduce the amount of sugar you eat throughout the day. But in reality you might actually be consuming more of it than you are aware.
But before we have a look at the products that contain ‘hidden’ sugar let us remind you what the recommended daily intake of sugar is.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) women should not exceed 5-6 teaspoons (25g) of sugar a day, and men – 7-8 teaspoons (35g) a day.
Now, here is a list of the types of foods you should be careful with as they contain more sugar than you realize:
1. Soft drinks, chocolate, sweets, ice cream etc. Obvious you think. But do you know exactly how much sugar, for example, a can of soft drink contains? An equivalent of seven teaspoons of sugar! Which is all that you are allowed to have a day. Think about it next time you reach for that “harmless” 330ml can of coke.
2. Carefully check the ingredients of savoury foods too. Products like pasta sauce, ketchup, ready-made soups and peanut butter may contain added sugar. And two tablespoons of barbeque sauce contain as much sugar as a glazed donut.
3. Sugar is added to many ‘diet’ foods to make them taste better and to improve their texture. So choose your low-fat yogurt and granola bars carefully.
4. Fruit juices and smoothies, even though considered healthy because of the amount of vitamins they contain, contain very high levels of sugar as well. A 500ml cup of juice may contain as many as 13 tablespoons of sugar. So dilute the juice you drink and try to stick to just 1 small glass of it a day.
5. Some fruit varieties have much more natural sugar than the others (for example Pink Lady apples have more sugar in them). Also tinned fruit conatins a lot of ‘added sugars’ as it helps extend its shelf life.
6. Check for anything ending with ‘ose’ on the label – it’s sugar. Like glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.
7. And do not forget that different syrups and honey is basically sugar too.
