What Exactly Are Free Sugars?

WHAT EXACTLY ARE FREE SUGARS?
‘Free sugars’ are the name given to the
sugars which are not naturally present in
foods (such as fruits) but are added
artificially to enhance flavors of existing
food products. These are the types of
sugars which a majority of children and
adults in the United Kingdom, end up
consuming an excess of. According to the
NHS (2017), the following are some of the
foods containing high amounts of free
sugars:
 Beverages and foods in which
sugars have been added
additionally, such as: chocolate,
cookies, biscuits, breakfast cereals,
fizzy drinks, packaged fruit juices
and even ice creams and frozen
yoghurt. These may be added at
home when preparing such foods of
by food manufacturing companies
and chefs who are preparing and
retailing these items at stores and
restaurants.
 Sugars found in food additives,
condiments and accompaniments,
DID YOU KNOW?
While they may seem harmless, some of the most popular and commonly consumed foods in our daily lives, which we also
share with our children are actually really high in free sugars. Fizzy drinks and beverages without alcohol, such as carbonated
liquids like cola, commercial sport’s drinks and even packaged drinks, contain some of the highest amounts of free sugars in
them. According to a recent news report by the BBC (2016), popular non-alcoholic beverages like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain
Dew and Cherry 7 Up have some of the highest concentrations of sugar, ranging from 9 to almost 13 grams of free sugars for
every 100 ml of drink. That amounts to almost 3 to 5 sugar cubes for every drink! This further reaches a staggering amount
when we multiple this value with the number of times we may offer such drinks to our children for each day, which can be
estimated to be almost 15 to 20 cubes of sugar – an amount much higher than the recommended 5 to 6 cubes of sugar per
day for 5 to 11 year olds by the National Health Service. The list does not end here. In addition to sugary sweetened
beverages and fizzy drinks, some of the highest amounts of free sugars can be found in favorite ‘treats’ like cakes, cookies,
The not-so ‘sweet side’ of Sugar: how much should sugar are our
children actually consuming?
IS THIS A REAL PROBLEM? WHERE’S THE
DATA?
According to a research by Public Health
England, reported recently by the BBC (2018), a
majority of children aged 4 to 10 years old in the
United Kingdom are consuming twice the
amount of sugar, that is, almost double of 13
sugar cubes, than what is actually
recommended for them to eat. When the figures
are combined annually, it amounts to
approximately an average value of 5000 cubes
of sugar by the children of the United Kingdom,
in just one year. Further details from the survey,
participated by 1000 parents and their children,
revealed that some of the primary contributors
of high sugars in children’s diets are: sugary
WHY SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?
Fizzy drinks and confectionaries may often feel the most convenient and delectable option
to provide our children with, but often we may be unaware of the amount of sugars
present in them and how gradual consume can contribute to a multitude of health
problems. Consuming sugar and sugar-containing foods in excess amounts can contribute
to problems like weight gain, obesity, diabetes and even heart diseases when children
grow into adolescents and adults. Consuming too much of foods containing sugar can
even cause dental problems like cavities and tooth decay in children and even contribute