How to Cut Down on Sugar: Simple Daily Tips

Sugar hides in far more than sweets. Sweetened tea, bottled drinks, juice, biscuits and many packaged foods all add up during the day. Cutting back does not mean giving up everything you enjoy. Small, steady changes work best.

What are "free sugars"?

Free sugars are the sugars that the cook, the factory or you add to food and drinks, plus the sugar found naturally in honey, syrups and fruit juice. The sugar inside whole fruit, vegetables and milk is not counted as free sugar, so you do not need to cut those foods down for this reason.

This means honey and fruit juice are not "sugar-free" choices, even though they come from natural sources.

How much sugar is too much?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that free sugars make up less than 10% of your daily energy. For someone eating about 2,000 calories a day, that is roughly 50 grams, or about 12 teaspoons. WHO also says that going down to 5% or less can give extra health benefits.

The UK's NHS uses the lower 5% target and suggests these daily maximums of free sugar:

• Adults: 30 g (about 7 sugar cubes)
• Children aged 7 to 10: 24 g (about 6 cubes)
• Children aged 4 to 6: 19 g (about 5 cubes)
• Babies under 1 year: no added sugar at all

Why does cutting sugar matter?

Too much free sugar is one of the main causes of tooth decay. According to the NHS, eating too much sugar over time can also lead to weight gain, which raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

What are the easiest ways to eat less sugar?

Start with drinks

• Swap fizzy drinks and sweetened bottled drinks for plain water.
• Keep fruit juice to one small glass (about 150 ml) a day, ideally with a meal.
• If you take sugar in tea or coffee, reduce it a little each week. Your taste adjusts over time.

Change breakfast and snacks

• Choose plain, unsweetened cereals or porridge instead of sugar-coated ones.
• Pick whole fruit over biscuits, cakes or sweets as a snack.
• Choose tinned fruit packed in juice rather than syrup.

Cook with less sugar

When making desserts at home, try cutting the sugar in the recipe gradually. Many recipes still taste good with less.

How do I read sugar on a food label?

Look for the "carbohydrates, of which sugars" line in the nutrition table. The NHS uses this guide per 100 g of food:

• High: more than 22.5 g of total sugars
• Low: 5 g or less of total sugars

Also check the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed from largest amount to smallest, so if sugar appears near the top, the product is likely high in added sugar.

Should I switch to artificial sweeteners?

WHO advises against swapping sugar for non-sugar (artificial) sweeteners as a way to cut down. A better long-term goal is to get used to less sweetness overall.

When to see a doctor

Cutting sugar is a healthy step for most people, but some signs need a check-up rather than diet changes alone. See a doctor if you have:

• Feeling very thirsty all the time or passing urine much more often than usual
• Weight loss you cannot explain
• Constant tiredness, blurred vision, or cuts and wounds that heal slowly
• Tooth pain or signs of tooth decay (see a dentist)

These can be signs of type 2 diabetes. The NHS notes that not everyone with type 2 diabetes has symptoms, so ask your doctor about a check if diabetes runs in your family or you are overweight. If you already have diabetes, talk to your doctor before making big changes to your diet.