What is added sugar?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that added sugar be limited to not more than 10% of our daily energy consumption. Therefore, the average amount of added sugar intake for adults inclusive of hidden sugar should not exceed 10 teaspoons a day (50g). But what is added sugar?

Added sugars are sugars that are added to foods and beverages when they are processed or prepared. White sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and glucose syrup which are commonly used in daily life are all added sugars. These added sugars are mainly used in the production of soft drinks, yogurt drinks, fruit juices, packaged drinks, as well as foods such as desserts and candies. Some added sugars are also used in daily cooking, tea making, and pastries. The source of added sugar varies depending on the sources and consuming too much can damage your health.

Why is added sugar a problem?

Foods and beverages with added sugars will contribute extra calories to your diet but provide little nutritional value. Eating too many foods with added sugars increases the risk of potential health problems, such as:

• Poor nutrition. If you choose sugar-laden foods instead of more nutritious foods, insufficient important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals obtained from your daily diet.
• Weight gain. There's no single cause for being overweight or obese. But added sugar might contribute to the problem. It's easy to get extra calories when eating foods that are sugar-sweetened.
• Increased triglycerides level. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the bloodstream and fat tissue. Eating an excessive amount of added sugar can increase triglyceride levels, which may increase your risk of heart disease.
• Tooth decay. Sugar promotes tooth decay by allowing bacteria to multiply and grow. The more often you eat or drink foods with natural sugar or added sugar, the more likely you are to get cavities.

How to reduce the intake of added sugar?

1. Recognize added sugar

Sugar goes by many names, depending on its source and how it was made. Increase the difficulty to recognize added sugar from food. Check for ingredients ending in "ose" — that's the chemical name for many types of sugar, such as fructose, glucose, maltose, and dextrose.

Here's a list of other common types of added sugars:

• Cane juice and cane syrup
• Corn sweetener and high-fructose corn syrup
• Malt
• Maple syrup
• Fruit juice concentrate and nectar
• Honey
• Molasses

2. Reduce the added sugars in your diet, try these tips:

• Drink water, other calorie-free drinks, or low-fat milk instead of sugary sodas or sports drinks, and coffee with added sugar.
• Choose 100% fruit juice, not juice drinks with added sugars. Better yet, eat the fruit rather than drink the juice to get the fiber as well.
• Choose breakfast cereals with less sugar. Skip sugary and frosted cereals.
• Opt for reduced-sugar varieties of syrups, jams, jellies and preserves.
• Choose fresh fruit for dessert instead of cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream and other sweets.
• Buy canned fruit packed in water or juice, not syrup. If you do purchase fruit packed in syrup, drain and rinse it with water to remove excess syrup.
• Choose nutrient-rich snacks such as vegetables, fruits, low-fat cheese, whole-grain crackers and low-fat, low-calorie yogurt instead of candy, pastries and cookies.