Children's Sugar Intake: Assessing Dietary Recommendations Report

This report delves into the concerning issue of excessive sugar consumption among children, particularly focusing on 'free sugars' added to common foods and drinks. It highlights that popular beverages like fizzy drinks and packaged juices, along with treats like cakes and biscuits, contain significant amounts of sugar, often exceeding recommended daily limits. The report presents data from various sources, including BBC reports and NHS guidelines, to illustrate the extent of the problem and its potential health consequences, such as obesity, diabetes, and dental issues. It emphasizes that a majority of children in the UK consume double the recommended amount of sugar. The report concludes with practical recommendations for parents, including limiting sugary foods, substituting sugary drinks with healthier alternatives, and promoting a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The report references valuable resources from the BBC, NHS, and Public Health England, offering further guidance on promoting healthier eating habits for children.

The not-so ‘sweet side’ of Sugar: how much should sugar are our children actually consuming
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 w
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-alc
Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Cherry 7 Up have some of the highest concentrations of sugar, ranging from 9 to almost 13 grams o
ml of drink. That amounts to almost 3 to 5 sugar cubes for every drink! This further reaches a staggering amount when we multipl
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
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 add
beverages and fizzy drinks, some of the highest amounts of free sugars can be found in favorite ‘treats’ like cakes, cookies, packaged biscuits and packa
confectionery.
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.Theseare the typesof sugarswhicha
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,breakfastcereals,fizzy
drinks,packagedfruit juicesand 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, such as: honey, syrups,
nectars, marmalades and jams. Even some of
these foods contain a naturally large amount
of sugar in them, the sugars in them are also
regarded as ‘free sugars’.
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 beverages (like
fizzy drinks, juices and energy drinks: 10%), confectionaries
like cakes and buns (10%), breakfast cereals (8%) and
chocolates, ice creams and yoghurt (6 to 7%).
WHY SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?
Fizzy drinks and confectionaries may often feel the most convenient and delectable option to
with, but often we may be unaware of the amount of sugars present in them and ho
contribute to a multitude of health problems. Consuming sugar and sugar-containing foods i
contribute to problems like weight gain, obesity, diabetes and even heart diseases w
adolescents and adults. Consuming too much of foods containing sugar can even cau
cavities and tooth decay in children and even contribute to specific during adulthood in the f

OH NO! NOW WHAT?
While it is certainly difficult to completely avoid drinks and foods containing sugar, the following are some of the ways in which we
sugars and ensure a balanced diet for our children:
 It is recommended that the intake of sugar by children aged 4 to 10 years must be limited to no greater than 5 to 6 cubes o
 Limit theinclusion of sugary foods like processed juices, fizzy drinks, confectionaries, cookies, candies and chocolates in children’s diets.
 Fizzy and sugar drinks can be substituted with sugar-free juices and drinks, freshly prepared homemade juices with no adde
from low-fat, skimmed milk varieties.
 Restrict the intake of unsweetened fruit-based drinks to 150 ml per day.
 Restrict the amount of sweetened hot beverages or sugars added to breakfast cereals. Add whole fruit slices like bananas, a
your child’s cereal!
 Replace jams and marmalades with fresh fruit slices and homemade fruit purees and fruit spreads.
 Opt for breakfast cereals which are free from sweetened frosting like honey or chocolate coatings.
 Gradually limit the amount of sugar added at home to foods, to no greater than 1 to 2 teaspoons per day.
 Lastly, ensure that your child consumes a balanced diet every day containing 5 portions of whole fruits and vegetables, 2 po
lean meat, 5 to 6 portions of whole grains and cereals and 1 to 2 portions of dairy products.
FURTHER RESOURCE AND LINKS
The following links of information may be useful to better understand the harmful effects of sugar and how we can reduce the same for the health of our c
1. The amount of free sugars found in popular fizzy drinks and beverages, reported by the BBC (2016): https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-3583112
2. The daily and yearly sugar intake in children researched by Public Health England and reported by the BBC (2018): https://www.bbc.com/news/heal
3. Recommendations and tips by the NHS (2017), on how much sugars should children aged 5 to 11 years consume and ways or substitu
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/
4. Quick guide by Public Health England(2016)on foods servingsrequiredfor a balanceddiet to preventobesityand associatedhealth problemsin children:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528193/Eatwell_guide_colour.pdf
5. The ‘Eatwell Guide’ by the NHS (2019) on the number of food servings for each food group required to consume a health, nutritionally balanced diet: https://www.nhs.uk/live-w
well/the-eatwell-guide/