Sugar awareness week

Tips to reduce your sugar intake this upcoming Sugar Awareness Week 

Reducing intake of foods and drinks containing high levels of sugar can improve our dental health and lower our energy intake. Taking care of these may reduce the risk of weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.  

We do not need to reduce sugar that is naturally occurring in foods such as fruit, vegetables and milk as these foods have great nutritional value.  However, we should take care to reduce our ‘free’ sugars – those that are added to food or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices. The government recommends that free or added sugars shouldn’t exceed 30g a day for adults, which is roughly seven sugar cubes.  

We can reduce our free sugar intake by following the Eatwell Guide to help us minimise our consumption of sugary foods and drinks, and by using food labels to make healthier choices. To learn more about how to read food labels, check out the NHS guide available online. 

The Eatwell Guide can also advise on ways to cut down on sugar in your diet. 

Greenwich community cookery clubs can support you to cook healthy meals on a budget and are open to those who live or work in Greenwich.