Recommended Sugar Intake Level
The World Health Organization recommends the intake of free sugars should be less than 10 percent of daily energy intake. Free sugars are all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by manufacturers, cooks or consumers, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.
For an average adult with a 2000 kcal diet, one should not have more than 50g of sugar (approximately 10 sugar cubes) daily.
Sugar is placed at the top of the Food Pyramid - the "Eat the Least" level. Below are some tips on lowering sugar intake at different occasions.
Shopping Tips
- Read the nutrition labels to check the amount of sugars contained in pre-packaged foods so as to select food products with lower sugars content.
- Use the Food Composition Database to have a general idea of the sugar content in different foods.
Cooking Tips
- Use some standard measuring spoons (e.g. a teaspoon) to avoid adding extra sugar to food.
- Reduce the amount of sugar used in recipes. For example, to increase the sweetness of dishes, cook with fruits (fresh or dried) or vegetables (e.g. pineapple, capsicum).
- Replace snacks, desserts or sweets (e.g. candies, chocolates, ice-cream) with fresh fruit, dried fruit without added sugar (e.g. raisins, apricots), or vegetables (e.g. corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, baby carrot, or celery).
- Serve bread with low-fat cheese and fresh vegetables (e.g. lettuce, tomato or cucumber) instead of jam.
- Self-make fruit-flavoured soda using soda/ sparkling water and fresh cut fruit or fruit juices (e.g. soda water with lemon slices) for parties, festive or gatherings.
Less-Salt-and-Sugar Recipes
Dining Out Tips
- Look up for food premises which have pledged to provide foods with lower sugar, such as food premises joining the EatSmart@Restaurant programme.
- Request sugar/syrup to serve with the food separately or ask for a 'less sweet' option of the food.
- If the food is too salty, instead of ordering sugary beverages, request for plain water or tea to quench the thirst.
- Choose fruit or fruit-based options as dessert.
Tips on Choosing Beverages
- Drink water or non-sugared tea instead of soft drinks, fruit juice with added sugar, and other sugary beverages.
- Request to serve syrup/sugar with the drinks separately or ask for a 'less sweet' option.
- Consider the following recommendations (Source: Department of Health) to choose drinks.
Drinks of Choice | Drinks to Choose in Moderation | Drinks to Choose Less |
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