Do you know how much sugar you eat each day? Sugar is the main cause of tooth decay. According to the Food & Drink Federation's Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA), women should aim to restrict their daily intake to 90g (the equivalent of 22.5 sugar cubes). Sound easy, doesn't it? But while we can steer clear of the obvious sweet foods (not eating chocolate or not ordering dessert), it's the hidden sugars lurking in the processed foods & "fat-free" alternatives that we buy that are often loaded with hidden sugars. Packaged sauces are ladden with hidden sugars as are "ready meals". Always try to make suaces from fresh produce adding fresh herbs to add flavour. If we were to all keep a sugar diary, and had it analysed, I think we'd all be really surprised at how high our sugar intake actually is. Try to remember these handy hints when you're planning your meals:
- If it says "low fat" it's likely to be high in sugar
- Look out for the "hidden sugars" on food labels - sucrose, fructose, maltose & corn syrup are, in fact, all sugars and if they appear near the top of an ingredients list, the sugar content of that food item is likely to be very high.
- To work out the sugar content of food, look for "Carbohydrates.....of which....sugars" on the nutrition label. A food with 5g (or less) of sugar per 100g is considered low in sugar; 15g of sugar per 100g is considered high (15g is the equivalent of 4 sugar cubes).
- Not all sugars are bad - those which occur naturally in fruit and vegetables offer a source of slow-releasing energy & nutrients. It is the sugars that are added to foods during the processing or cooking that are devoid of nutrients.
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