Oh Sugar!
It pops up everywhere. We know it’s in things like cake, chocolate and fizzy drinks. We’re even aware that fruit is packed full of sugar too (along with good stuff like vitamins and fibre). But there are some commonly loved food and drinks have more sugar than you might think. Dr David Vickers has crunched the numbers and come up with a list of “sugar offenders” - some of them obvious, but some of them sneaky!
11 teaspoons = 1 tub of low fat Yoghurt
9.5 teaspoons = 600ml bottle of sports drink
9 teaspoons = 375ml can of Coke
9 teaspoons = 1 bottle of fruit juice
7 teaspoons = 1 choc-chip museli bar
5-7 teaspoons = 1 serve of oat-cluster type cereal
1 teaspoon = 1 side serve of tomato sauce or BBQ sauce
This is only a brief list. I don’t know about you, but there are some serious surprises in there - especially with low-fat Yoghurt topping this short list - more sugar than a can of Coke!
Of course, the big worry is that all this hidden sugar does serious damage to our teeth (not to mention our overall health).
A general tip is that the more processed something is, the bigger risk of hidden sugar’s finding their way into the mix. Try to reach for natural food like vegetables, nuts and protein. If you do have a sweet craving, a piece of fruit is a great way to go (2 serves a day recommended).
If you have further questions, the team at Northbridge Dentists are always on hand to help you with your choices!