How Much Sugar Is Hiding in Your Everyday Food?

jadavisr

13h

4 min read

A bowl of cereal, a flavoured yoghurt, a spoonful of pasta sauce. None of these feels like a sweet treat, yet each can add to your daily sugar intake.

Sugar Awareness Week runs from 2 to 8 November. It’s the perfect excuse to pick up a few everyday foods, turn them over and read the label. You might be surprised.

Ceramic bowl of granola with blueberries beside a cup, milk pitcher, and Cereal box on a beige tabletop.

What Is Sugar Awareness Week?

Action on Sugar, a UK charity, runs Sugar Awareness Week every year. It raises awareness of how much sugar is in our food and pushes for clearer labelling and healthier products.

The UK eats far more sugar than it should. The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that 19% of adults stay within the recommended limit.

Six days later, on 14 November, comes World Diabetes Day. The two dates sit close together for good reason, and there’s more on that below.

H2: Free Sugars or Total Sugars: What Counts?

The adult limit is 30g of free sugars a day. That’s the equivalent of seven sugar cubes.

Free sugars include:

sugars added to food and drinks
honey and syrups
fruit juice and smoothies

Sugars found in whole fruit and plain milk aren’t free sugars, so they don’t count towards the 30g.

How to Read a Food Label for Sugar

Look for “carbohydrate, of which sugars”. Use the figure per 100g to compare similar foods.
For food, 5g or less per 100g is low. More than 22.5g is high. Anything in between is medium.
Check your portion. If a food contains 20g of sugar per 100g, a 50g serving gives you 10g.
Read the ingredients. Sugar can appear as glucose, dextrose, honey, syrups or fruit juice concentrate. Ingredients are listed by weight, largest first.

Keep in mind that the label shows total sugars, including the natural sugars in milk and fruit. That’s why a plain yoghurt still shows some sugar, even though nothing has been added.

Nutrition label with tables for energy, protein, carbs, fat, salt and calcium per 100g and 1/4 pot, with green and red highlights.

Simple Ways to Cut Down on Sugar

Start with drinks. Swap fizzy drinks for water, sparkling water with a slice of lemon, or tea. Keep fruit juice and smoothies to 150ml a day.
Choose plain yoghurt and add fresh berries.
Go for porridge oats over sugar-coated cereals.
Check sauces and dressings. Ketchup, barbecue sauce and ready-made pasta sauces can add more sugar than you’d expect.
Cut back on sugar in tea and coffee a little at a time. Taste buds adapt within a few weeks.
Include protein and fibre at every meal. Eggs, fish, beans, lentils, vegetables and whole grains keep you fuller for longer and help steady your energy.

That last point matters most when cravings keep coming. Cravings are often a sign of a blood sugar dip, not a lack of willpower. Meals that keep blood sugar steady make the afternoon biscuit tin far less tempting.

Overhead view of porridge bowls topped with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and kiwi on a gray table.

Sugar and World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day falls on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin in 1921. The theme for 2026 is “Early action on diabetes”.

Diabetes UK reports that one in five UK adults is living with diabetes or prediabetes. Sugar isn’t the only cause of type 2 diabetes. Weight, fibre intake, activity, sleep, stress and family history all play a part. Sugary drinks do add to the risk, though. Each daily serving is linked to an 18% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is different. It’s an autoimmune condition, and diet doesn’t cause it.

The positive news is that small changes count. Reducing free sugars and eating more fibre both support healthier blood sugar over the long term.

One Label at a Time

Sugar Awareness Week isn’t about giving up the foods you enjoy. It’s about knowing what’s in them, so the choices you make suit you.

Reading one label this week is a good start. Swapping one sugary drink or snack is the next step. Small changes like these, kept up over time, add up to steadier energy, fewer cravings and better long-term health.

If sugar cravings, low energy or blood sugar are a concern, a free 30-minute health chat is a relaxed, judgement-free conversation. It’s a chance to talk through your symptoms and see whether nutritional therapy could help, because everyone is individual. Choose a time that suits you and you’ll get a phone call then.

Book your free health chat here: https://calendly.com/jadavisr/30min

Sugar Awareness Week: Your Questions Answered

Is fruit high in sugar?

Whole fruit contains natural sugars, but the fibre slows their release into the blood. It doesn’t count towards your 30g limit. Fruit juice does.

Is dried fruit a free sugar?

No, dried fruit isn’t classed as a free sugar. It’s a concentrated source of sugar, though, and it sticks to teeth. A 30g portion counts as one of your five a day, and it’s kinder to teeth eaten with a meal than as a snack.

Are “no added sugar” products sugar free?

Not always. They can still contain natural sugars from fruit or milk, so check the “of which sugars” figure.

Are sweeteners a better choice?

The World Health Organization advises against relying on sweeteners for weight control. Gradually reducing sweetness works better in the long term.

Are honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar healthier than white sugar?

No. All of them count as free sugars, and the body handles them in much the same way as table sugar. A drizzle of honey adds to the daily total just as a spoonful of sugar does.

Is low fat food lower in sugar?

Not necessarily. Some low fat products, such as yoghurts and dressings, have sugar added to replace the flavour and texture lost with the fat. Comparing the per 100g figures on the labels shows which option is lower.

How do I read sugar on a drinks label?

Drinks have lower thresholds than food. More than 11.25g per 100ml is high, and 2.5g or less per 100ml is low. A single can of a full sugar fizzy drink can contain more than the full 30g adult daily limit.

How much sugar should children have?

The NHS sets lower limits for children: no more than 19g of free sugars a day for ages 4 to 6, 24g for ages 7 to 10, and 30g from age 11. Children under 4 should avoid sugary drinks and foods with added sugar.

Why do I crave sugar?

Cravings often follow a dip in blood sugar, after a skipped meal or a breakfast that’s low in protein. Short sleep and stress can make them stronger. Meals built around protein, fibre and healthy fats keep energy steadier, which helps cravings ease.