Sugar has been headlining the news for a few months now. Dentists have been going on about it for ages! Excess sugar causes obesity, dental decay and type two diabetes. Public awareness and eduction is key here. There are so many hidden sugars in food, how do you work out how much is in them?
Public Health England have reported that young children are consuming three times more than the sugar limit. They have also said they support the sugar tax proposal to help raise awareness and reduce sugar consumption. They have also called for a reduced marketing of sugary foods and drinks towards children in stores, TV and online.
A FREE sugar is any sugar that is added to foods by the manufacturer, plus those naturally present in syrups and fruit juices.
The daily recommended sugar limits:
4 – 6 year olds- 5 cubes of sugar or 19 g
7-10 year olds- 6 cubes of sugar or 24 g
11 year olds and above- 7 cubes of sugar or 30 g
To put that in perspective: 1 can of cola – 9 cubes of sugar; a chocolate bar- 6 cubes of sugar; a small carton of juice- more than 5 cubes of sugar.
One way to work out how much sugar there is in a product is to look at the carbohydrates of which are sugars on the nutritional information of the food or drink. Another way, which I think is much easier, is to use the “Sugar smart app”.
Public Health England have released the FREE “Sugar smart app“. It scans the barcode of products and reveals the total sugar in cubes or grams.
I highly recommend this app for your smart phone. You’ll be surprised at how much hidden sugar there is in food and drink. I think this is a brilliant app to help raise awareness and also to help you and your family make healthy choices. Remember it’s all about a balanced healthy diet and everything in moderation.
p.s. if you want to help with your dental care call us at Time Dental on 01252 723 008. We’re private dental care at its best