- Excessive sugar intake contributes to serious health issues like weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
- Many “hidden sugars” are found in snacks, drinks, and condiments, often exceeding daily recommended limits without being noticed.
- Reduce sugar by opting for natural sweeteners, unsweetened products, and homemade alternatives to sugary snacks and beverages.
Consuming too much sugar can lead to an array of health issues such as unhealthy weight gain, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and even some cancers.
According to experts, children should consume only six teaspoons of sugar daily, while the recommended amount for adults is nine. Despite these guidelines, many of us unknowingly consume more than double these amounts daily with the drinks and snacks we choose.
“Hidden sugars are often sneaky and can add up quickly throughout the day without us even realising it,” explains Mbali Mapholi, Laager Rooibos partner dietitian.
“Many snacks and drinks that aren’t noticeably sweet still contain sugar, meaning that many of us may be consuming a lot more sugar than we realise, which can significantly impact our health over time.”
An alarming study by Wits University revealed that South Africans consume significantly more sugar than recommended, with an estimated 12 to 24 teaspoons daily, of which four to eight teaspoons come from sugar-sweetened beverages.
This exceeds the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended daily limit of six teaspoons.
Know your sugars
While nutritional information labels are required to detail how much sugar a product contains, most labels do not separate the amounts of naturally occurring sugar from added sugar.
This is where knowing the various names of sugar becomes essential.
To identify added sugars, look at the ingredients list. Some significant clues that an ingredient is an added sugar include:
- It has syrup (examples: corn syrup, rice syrup)
- the word ends in “ose” (examples: fructose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose)
- “sugar” is in the name (examples: raw sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar)
Other examples of added sugar include fruit nectars, juice concentrates, honey, agave and molasses.
Avoiding hidden sugar
To avoid these hidden sugar as much as possible, Mapholi says it’s essential to:
- Read labels: Check food labels for ‘total sugars’ and ‘added sugars’. Total sugars include natural sugars, while added sugars are added during processing.
- Check the percentage of the daily value (%DV): The daily value is the recommended intake of added sugars. When analysing different foods and beverages, aim for 5% DV of added sugars or less when reading labels.
- Convert grams to teaspoons: 1 teaspoon of sugar is roughly 4-5 grams. For example, a drink or snack containing 12 grams of sugar is equivalent to 3 teaspoons. This often makes visualising how much sugar you’re consuming easier.
Which drinks and snacks have hidden sugars?
Mapholi also shares some common examples of food and snacks with high sugar content.
- Soft drinks: 39g per 330ml can: Most popular soft drinks contain sugar that is not naturally occurring in the product. Sugary drinks can contribute significantly to a person’s daily sugar intake. Just one can is already higher than the recommended daily limit.
- 100% fruit juice: 24g per 250ml glass: Remember that even 100% natural fruit juice contains fructose. While this is a naturally occurring sugar, it still forms part of a person’s daily sugar contribution.
- Sports drink: 20g per 330ml bottle: Marketed as a beneficial drink for active people, sports drinks still contain a significant amount of sugar to enhance flavour.
- Flavoured yoghurt: 17g per 150g: While yoghurt has beneficial calcium and probiotics, the type of yoghurt is worth noting, as many yoghurt (particularly the flavoured ones) have added sugar for taste.
- Granola bar: 12g per bar (40g): These are often marketed as a healthy snack, but many granola or cereal bars contain added sugar for flavour.
- Smoothies: 35g per 450ml bottle: Store-bought smoothies are another snack marketed as healthy, but they can also contain high amounts of naturally occurring and added sugar.
- Fruit roll-ups: 13g per piece (20g): There’s a misconception that anything with fruit is 100% healthy! These fruit snacks contain a lot of added sugar to preserve the flavour.
- Tomato sauce: 4g per 1 tablespoon (17g): Condiments and even certain savoury foods, such as ready-to-eat meals, will contain added sugars, so it’s best to check.
Avoiding overconsumption
To avoid too much sugar, you should be making clear efforts to read food labels, choose healthier drinks and prepare your food yourself, Mapholi advises.
She offers these additional tips:
- Use natural sweeteners: Instead of refined sugars, use fruits (fresh or frozen) to add natural sweetness. For example, it’s easy to make homemade iced tea using cooled Laager Rooibos, added ice, and chopped fresh fruit.
- Look for unsweetened versions: Choose unsweetened dairy products, cereals, and drinks. Be cautious of ‘reduced sugar’ or ‘no sugar added’ labels - always read the nutritional panel.
- Be cautious with ‘healthy’ snacks: Granola bars, smoothies, and protein bars can often contain more sugar than people realise, so check the labels or opt for homemade alternatives.
First published on News24.
