Which foods add the most sugar to our diets?

We don’t need to remove all sugar from our diets, but almost all of us could do with cutting down on free sugars.

What are free sugars?

These are the kind which are added to food, or the sugars in juice (they are ‘free’ because they are no longer inside the cells of the fruit).

Free sugars are often said to provide ‘empty calories’ because apart from the energy (calories) they give us they have little nutritional benefit. A diet high in free sugars tends to be a high-calorie diet, and this can lead to weight gain, which can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart and circulatory diseases and some cancers.

The guideline daily maximum (reference intake) is for no more than 30g (7 ½ tsp) of free sugars – but most adults are consuming nearly 50g (12 ½ tsp), and teenagers are having even more.

Which foods add the most free sugars to our diets?

The government’s regular National Diet and Nutrition Survey tells us which foods contribute most free sugars to our diets. Apart from yogurt, most of these foods have limited nutritional value, and some of them are major contributors to the unhealthy (saturated) fat in our diet too. So cutting back on these foods and swapping for more nutritious foods is a win-win for your health.

Cakes, biscuits, buns and pastries [15%]

These sweet foods are the biggest contributors to the unhealthy free sugars in our diet. They’re also one of the biggest sources of unhealthy (saturated) fat, so there’s more than one reason to cut down. Generally, buns, tea cakes, and crumpets are lower in sugar and fat than cakes and pastries – as long as you don’t add butter or sweet spreads to them. Try to keep biscuits for an occasional treat, and stick to one or two at a time. Plain biscuits like rich tea or ginger nuts tend to be lower in sugar and saturated fat than chocolate-coated biscuits or ones with a jam or cream filling.

• How much do you know about sweet treats? Take our cake quiz to find out

Jams, spreads and added sugar [14%]

Most jams, marmalades and chocolate spreads are about half sugar. Together with honey, syrups and sugar we add at the table and to hot drinks, these are the second biggest source of sugar in our diets. Reduced-sugar jams can help cut the amount of sugar you eat, or for an even bigger difference, try sliced banana, or peanut butter and banana, on your toast instead (this will also help towards your 5-a-day).

Adding just one teaspoon of sugar to two of cups of tea a day adds 6 lbs 6oz (2.92kg) of sugar and 11,680 kcals over a year. To cut out sugar from your tea and coffee, try reducing the amount you add gradually, over the course of a week or two. This will allow your taste buds to get used to the taste, and soon you won’t miss the sugar.

Soft drinks [11%]

Soft drinks like fizzy drinks and squash are a significant source of free sugars in our diets, contributing 11% of our sugar consumption. If you are having soft drinks, choose sugar-free varieties. Even better, try to drink water which you can flavour with slices of cucumber, lemon, orange or fresh mint.

• Get more tips in our article on soft drinks ranked best to worst

Chocolate [8%]

Virtually all chocolate – milk, white or dark – is high in sugar. Even 70% dark chocolate is still high in sugar (although it does contain less sugar than milk or white chocolate). Chocolate is also one of the top sources of unhealthy saturated fat in our diet, so there’s a double reason to cut back. It’s fine to enjoy a small portion of chocolate as a treat, but keep an eye on portion sizes.

• Read about the chocolate myths you shouldn’t believe

Beer, lager and cider [7%]

You might not think about beer or cider as being sugary, but these drinks are one of the biggest sources of sugar in our diets – much more than wine or other alcoholic drinks. Alternating alcoholic drinks with water, and limiting the number of days when you drink alcohol, can help reduce the sugar in your diet, as well as reducing your risk of the harmful health effects that alcohol is linked to.

Fruit juice [6%]

Once fruit is turned into juice, its sugars become free sugars, and most of the fibre is lost, so it’s better to eat the whole fruit. Fruit juice is also a more concentrated source of sugar, because a glass of juice usually contains the juice of more fruits than you’d typically eat in one go. If you drink juice, keep to a small glass.

Yogurts and fromage frais [4%]

Flavoured yogurts can be high in sugar – not because of the sugars which are naturally in the milk they are made from, but because of the sugar that is added to them. Switching to natural yogurt, either plain or with fruit that you add yourself, will avoid free sugars and could help you towards your 5-a-day.

Pickles, savoury sauces and condiments [4%]

It’s easy to forget that savoury foods can be high in sugar. Ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, mango chutney, red onion chutney and sandwich pickle are just some examples of sauces and relishes which tend to be high in sugar. Choose reduced-sugar (and reduced-salt) versions if you can, and check the labels when you buy them, as there can be a big difference between brands.

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