"Sugar is bad for you." It’s a statement we hear time and time again, but the notion of a sugar-free lifestyle is for the majority of us, not one worth considering. It’s something people in LA do. It’s for celebrities with live-in chefs. It’s for Gwyneth Paltrow and Gisele. It is, in short, neither plausible nor desirable as a diet-option.
This morning, NHS Chief Simon Stevens announced plans to impose a sugar tax in hospitals to help tackle the “national sugar high” increasingly ruining people’s health, with hopes that by 2020 the tax will have palpably impacted the growing health issues tied in with sugar consumption. Stevens went on to make more radical suggestions outside of the NHS too, such as enforcing food firms to strip sugar out of their products.
What the tax will mean is that hospitals will begin to start charging more for high-sugar drinks and snacks sold in their cafes and vending machines in an effort to discourage staff, patients and visitors from buying them.
Why the sudden hoo-ha? Bad diet has recently overtaken smoking as the biggest single cause of the 40% of lifestyle-linked avoidable illnesses the service treats, and the NHS is buckling under the strain of admittance rates.
While a sugar-free diet isn’t an option for most of us, here are ten foods harbouring surprising amounts of the white stuff that are best avoided or consumed in moderation by those looking to cut back on their sugar intake. And, deep breath…
Hovis wholemeal medium loaf
Per portion (40g) it contains half a teaspoon of sugar. Yikes! Some breads contain a whole teaspoon...
Apples
" An apple a day..." is a proverb that should be taken literally; with around 10g of sugar in one, you shouldn't gorge on them.
Raisins
By weight, raisins range from about 67% to 72% sugars – mostly glucose and fructose and a small box (1.5 oz) of Sun Maid raisins has 129 calories, 0g fat, 34g carbs, 1g protein. This is the carb equivalent of around 8 and ½ teaspoons of sugar. SOS.
Solero's exotic ice cream
Only 94 calories, but a shocking 4 teaspoons of sugar!
Bran Flakes (30g with milk, 125ml)
Bran Flakes are 22 per cent sugar, but here milk adds half a cube. Sad face.
Glaceau Vitamin Water
They only contain 64 calories which is deceiving because they also include 4 teaspoons of sugar. Sorry 50 cent.
Heinz tomato soup
Soup is often sold as a healthy dinner option, but they can hide high sugar values. This tomato soup contains 4 table spoons of sugar.
Naked Juices Green Machine (150ml)
While the sugars in this green juice "come from fruits", one cube of sugar (53g) in a 150ml bottle is still a lot to consume. There’s more sugar here than there is in a regular bag of Skittles (46g)
Heinz tomato ketchup
Ketchups are sugar-rich, with Heinz Tomato Ketchup containing 23.6g sugar per 100g or 2.6g per serving.
Granola
Most granolas are classified as high sugar, with more than 12.5g of sugar per 100g. Health guidelines recommend consuming no more than 90g of sugar in a day.
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