IT’S TOUGH TO BE ME. I’m stuck in supermarket isles for hours just reading all the product labels. But, just because I am always holding up the traffic, doesn’t mean you have to! Read on for label information on sugar content in random products.
Table of Contents
First, Some Science!
LET’S SAY YOU MAKE ALL THE ‘HEALTHIER’ CHOICES IN A SUPERMARKET, how much sugar are you still taking in? Probably more than you were hoping for.
ON THE PACKAGING, IT OFTEN SAYS something like: “4 grams of sugar (5% of Recommended Daily Allowance)”. I’ve got no idea where this information is coming from, because as far as science (that I know of) is concerned, claiming that recommended daily allowance of sugar is around a 100 grams, is NOT POSSIBLE TO BE HEALTHY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE ARE SCIENCE-BASED GUIDELINES, and those are the ones that should be used. American Heart Association (AHA) has defined a maximum amount of sugar per day. So it’s okay to have less, but having more brings risks to your health.
What are the risks of excess sugar consumption?
Many. Studies show that too much sugar consumption can contribute to developing obesity (even in children already), diabetes type 2 , fatty-liver disease (sugar in relation to fatty-liver disease), blood vessel damage and even certain types of cancers (sugar involved in certain types of cancer).
That is why there is a ‘healthy’ dose and an ‘unhealthy’ dose of added sugars per day.
Which sugars don’t count?
The sugars in fruit are different than cane sugar or glucose syrup added to products. When eating a whole piece of fruit, you also get fiber and micro nutrients, in addition to sugars.
Other than that, so all the added sugars, every time you see a label with containing sugar on it, you should keep in mind that the maximum recommended amount of sugar per day is:
- 25 grams (6 teaspoons, 100 calories) for women,
- 37,5 grams (9 teaspoons, 150 calories) for men.
Related: check out sugar content in products with the Yale University SUGAR DETECTIVE .
Sugar in Random Products
Juice
A RANDOMLY-CHOSEN, ORGANIC & HEALTHY LOOKING JUICE CONTAINS 10 grams of sugar per 100ml. One glass is around 200 ml, so 20 grams of sugar. This is about two thirds of maximum daily sugar allowance for women. So, a glass is okay but half a liter is too much sugar for one day.
TO QUENCH THIRST, IT’S BEST TO DRINK WATER OR HERBAL TEA. A glass of juice can be considered a tasty indulgence when you really feel like it, but no replacement for the 1,5-2L of water you should be drinking daily.
Biscuits
I PICKED OUT THESE ‘TIME OUT’ BISCUITS WITH COCONUT (mmm, yummie!!) because I love coconut and because these ones had very reasonable amounts of sugar compare to other biscuits at the store.
THESE BISCUITS CONTAIN 25 GRAMS OF SUGAR per 100 grams. Per biscuit, this comes down to 3,1 grams of sugar, which is alright if you can stick to only having a few per day and no other foods with added sugars.
BY THE WAY, COOKIES ARE ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE FOODS TO AVOID if you are trying to lose weight. One cookie easily contains anywhere from 60 to 120 calories – one cookie = 120 calories! (that’s enough energy for a 20 minute run on the treadmill at the gym).
Usually, people with a sweet-tooth have at least a couple of cookies if not (half) the pack, which easily comes down to 500 – 1000 calories extra per day, that go by unnoticed on the eating plan.
Cereals
CEREALS BASED ON WHOLEGRAIN OATS SOUND QUITE PROMISING. These additionally contain hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and almonds – which tells me there’s at least going to be a relatively good fiber content in there.
THESE Jordan’s ‘Naturally Delicious’ Crunchy CEREALS CONTAIN 15.5 GRAMS OF SUGAR per 100 grams. Per portion of 40 grams, that’s 7 grams of added sugars in your bowl each morning.
Moreover, I weighted my portion this morning, and it’s more like 60 grams per portion (I use a regular sized breakfast bowl) so that is about 10 grams of sugar per morning. 10 grams of added sugars is almost half of the maximum daily allowance for added sugars.
Compared to other cereals, these cereals are pretty saintly. Most cereals contain 20-25 grams of added sugars per 100 grams (so you might as well be eating biscuits for breakfast).
Candy
THESE “Goody Good Stuff” CANDIES WERE NEXT TO THE CASH REGISTER, SO THEY CAUGHT MY EYE.
Notice the lovely *kid friendly* packaging. Cute right? No.
This package has 71 (freaking) grams of added sugars per 100 grams. That’s an amount & density of sugar that anyone who cares about their health should stay away from.
Since the package is about the size of the palm of my hand, it’s not big and can easily be eaten in one go. This is something to be weary of, if you realise that 71 grams of sugars is about triple that of added sugars maximum daily allowance.
Surprised or inspired?
THERE YOU HAVE IT, sugar content in random supermarket products. Surprised? I was!
We’re one step closer to sugar wisdom! More coming soon.
