The hidden sugar in everyday foods – and how to separate the good from the bad

From choosing what to have for breakfast to making sweet treats ‘healthy’, here are the tips you need to navigate the tricky world of sugar

Unless you’ve just arrived from Mars, it won’t come as news that in Britain we consume too much sugar, with terrible consequences for our health. That much seems straightforward, yet these days, sugar is a hot and confusing topic.
Scientist, gut health expert and Telegraph columnist Professor Tim Spector recently sparked a heated debate on social media by claiming orange juice was “just as bad” as cola. Meanwhile, nutrition experts have lambasted some of Pret a Manger’s apparently healthy granola breakfast bowls for containing more sugar per serving than a Mars bar. Even Pret’s new kids’ meal deals are in the firing line, with experts saying the yogurt pots contain more sugar than a packet of Haribo sweets.
Those of us with a sweet tooth – and that’s most of us, at least occasionally – can only scratch our heads. Are all types of sugar the devil’s work? Are we really damaging our health by reaching for a sweet treat occasionally? Only in our dreams would kids choose an apple over sweets, so what do we do in the real world when they badger us for a treat? We asked the experts.
To make informed choices about sugar, it’s important to understand the basics. There are two types of sugar in food: intrinsic and free. Intrinsic sugars are naturally present in the cell structure of whole foods such as fruit, vegetables and milk. Free sugars, on the other hand, have been ‘freed’ from the cells through processing, such as squeezing for juice or blitzing into purée.
Free sugars include the white stuff we stir into our tea, as well as all the brown sugars, which are widely and wrongly thought to be healthier. But many free sugars are less obvious: fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit purée, honey and syrups all count. 
These “free” sugars are the ones the Government advises us to limit our intake of. This is because they damage our teeth and are quickly absorbed, causing spikes in blood sugar. And they don’t fill us up, so leave us wanting more. Eating too much sugar is also linked to a range of serious health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
In contrast, there’s no evidence that intrinsic sugars – the kind in, say, apples – are damaging. “They take longer to digest and don’t spike your blood sugar as quickly as free sugars because they come with extra nutrients, like fibre and other compounds that are good for us,” says nutritionist Sam Rice. 
The Government recommends we limit our intake of free sugars, not intrinsic sugars. For adults and children aged 11 and above, that means a maximum of 30g a day; for those from seven to ten, it’s 24g a day; and from four to six, 19g a day. Unfortunately, as a nation, we ignore these recommendations. 
According to the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey, overall average intakes of free sugars are roughly twice the recommendation. And we’re potentially seriously risking our health as a result.
“Excessive consumption of sugar can increase the risk of tooth decay and Type 2 diabetes,” says registered nutritionist Valeria Folco. “It can also promote a higher intake of energy, which in the long-term may lead to weight gain.”
What’s more, free sugars trigger sharp rises and falls – spikes – in blood sugar levels. Emerging evidence suggests that over the long term, frequent and extreme spikes can cause chronic inflammation – cell damage – and associated conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and potentially even cancer.
Sometimes we don’t know how much free sugar we’re consuming, so it’s important to be able to spot it on labels. This isn’t necessarily easy, as it can be disguised under many names. Look out for the words syrup, nectar, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, fruit juice, fruit purée and anything ending in ‘ose’ (such as fructose, glucose, dextrose and maltose). Some recent studies have suggested fructose may have a particular role to play in weight gain, but Folco says the evidence for this is “conflicting”.
Also look for the “carbohydrates of which sugars” figure on the nutrition label. Products are considered to either be high or low in sugar if they fall above or below the following thresholds – high: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g; low: 5g or less of total sugars per 100g.
Misleadingly, “no added sugar” on packaging doesn’t mean it’s free from all “free sugars”, just table sugar. Manufacturers are technically allowed to use the term if they’ve added free sugars such as fruit purée or concentrate.
This is where there’s lots of confusion. Not all foods containing free sugars are equal, so comparing fruit juice to cola or sweetened yogurt to chocolate is misleading. “It doesn’t convey the whole picture,” says Folco.
For example, a 250ml glass of cola contains 27g of free sugars (nearly all the daily adult allowance) as well as caffeine. Recent research shows that high consumption of caffeinated energy drinks can cause headaches, irritability and sleep problems in young people.
By contrast, 150ml of unsweetened orange juice (the recommended daily limit) contains just 12g of free sugars, plus 38mg of vitamin C. Some brands include pulp, which contains fibre. “Not only are the free sugars slightly lower than the coke, but OJ also contains over 100% of the daily requirement for vitamin C in children (35mg) and nearly 100% for people aged 15 and over (daily recommendation 40mg),” Folco says. “It also counts towards one of our five-a-day.”
Many flavoured yogurts aimed at children are loaded with free sugars, commonly in the form of fruit purée and/or fruit juice concentrate. This isn’t ideal, Folco admits. “But I still believe that yogurts are broadly a better option compared to a bag of sweets or a coke,” she says. “A small pot (85g) can contain around 8–9g of free sugar, but it also contains some proteins and calcium. Many yogurts nowadays are fortified with vitamin D, too.”
Rice points out, too, that sweetened yogurts vary. Frubes, for example, are ultra-processed; they might be fortified with vitamin D, but also contain stabilisers, regulators, thickeners and flavourings. “They’re not the sort of thing you should be giving your kid every day,” Rice says. “Although it’s better than giving them a chocolate bar or a bag of crisps.
In contrast, Pret’s banana and mango yoghurt pot for kids isn’t UPF; it’s made with just yogurt, fruit purée, coconut milk, lemon juice, turmeric and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and no additives. “I would be happy for my child to have one of these,” Rice says.
And what about those Pret granola pots?
Pret’s Big Apple Bowl, Bircher Muesli Bowl and Five Berry Bowl each contain 33.1g, 34.9g and 31.4g of sugar respectively. A Mars bar contains 31g.
The three pots contain either dried fruit, pomegranate seeds or fruit compote alongside granola, and are listed as a breakfast item by the company.
Pret said its breakfast bowls contain a “mixture of fresh and dried fruit, and therefore largely contain naturally occurring sugars alongside other ingredients”.
There’s simply no need to avoid all sugary treats, says Folco, as long as we eat a healthily balanced diet. In fact, the Government’s Eatwell guide, which shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group, allows for sweet treats “now and again”. 
“This small group of foods are not necessary in a healthy diet because they are not nutrient-dense and often are energy dense,” Folco explains. “But they can be part of a healthily balanced diet – in moderation and small portions. In the context of a balanced diet and active lifestyle, ‘now and again foods’ hardly have an impact.”
What’s more, the potential ill-effects of free sugars can be lessened by having them alongside nutritious foods. “Combine them with healthy fats, protein, and fibre to mitigate blood sugar spikes,” Rice suggests. “For example, enjoy a couple of squares of chocolate with a small handful of nuts. This adds protein and healthy fat to lower the overall glycemic load (effect on blood sugar).” If you love orange juice, make sure you stick to 150ml a day and enjoy it with a healthy breakfast, such as eggs on wholegrain toast, for similar benefits. 
In her book, Glucose Revolution, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé also recommends saving sweet treats for after a meal when your stomach is full. The sugar will be absorbed into your bloodstream more slowly than eating it on an empty stomach, smoothing out sugar spikes.
Banning sugary treats can make children want them more, Folco says. They may also start to think about foods as either “good” or “bad”, which can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. 
Enjoying sweet treats in moderation and in small portions is fine for children, she says. “But try to promote a varied diet, and promote inclusion over exclusion.” For example, offer sweetened yogurt, but encourage children to mix in a little healthier plain yogurt. “You could then move on to serve plain yoghurt with fresh fruit or nut butter,” she says.
Not everyone has time to bake, but if you do, home-made sweet treats are best, as you can control the sugar content, says Rice. Banana bread is ideal. Boost its nutritional profile by adding less sugar than the recipe suggests (you can cut it by at least one third and barely notice the difference). Consider adding in nuts and seeds, and replace white flour with healthier wholemeal. 
“If you can find two or three sweet things to make at home that your children like, you can make a big batch and have them on hand,” Rice says.
Remember, also, that adults and children can train their palates not to hanker after sugary things. “It’s well researched,” Rice says. “The fewer sweet foods you eat, the less you crave them, and you don’t like them as much when you do have them.” 
And surely that’s the ultimate way to protect your health and that of your children: to not to want harmful sugary foods in the first place.
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