I’m frequently asked what’s so bad about sugar.
Well, if you stick to nutritionists’ guidelines of 30g per day then nothing. The difficulty is, sticking to that guideline. 30g is about 7 teaspoons. Not a lot.
With the average 330ml soft-drink containing 9 or 10 teaspoons, one can and you’ve blown it. Fruit juices are not much better. Whilst they may contain vitamins & minerals, many contain 30g sugar per 100ml or more. So unless you can stick to the recommended 150ml limit, then again – you’ve blown your limit in one drink. To be honest, if you like fruit juice – you’re best just eating fruit.
And the consequences of eating too much sugar?
Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain & obesity, which in turn increases your risk of health conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Sugary foods and drinks can also cause tooth decay, especially if you eat them between meals. The longer the sugary food is in contact with teeth, the more damage it can cause.
For a healthy, balanced diet, we should get the majority of our calories from other kinds of foods, such as starchy foods and fruits and vegetables, and only eat these foods occasionally.
For more information on sugar and diet, here’s a few resources:
NHS Choices. How does sugar in our diet affect our health?
Action on Sugar: Downloadable Fact Sheets
Action On Sugar: Soft-Drink Survey; Table of sugar content of 232 commonly consumed soft-drinks in the UK
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