An expert committee from theWorld Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has recommended that added sugars should provide a maximum of 10 percent of our total energy.
Our Ministry of Health takes a more moderate position. It recommends sucrose and other free sugars should provide no more than 15 percent of total energy.
So how much does the Ministry of Health's 15 percent translate to?
- For an average 80 kg man it's about 104g or 26 teaspoons a day
- For an average 65 kg woman it's about 68g or 17 teaspoons a day.
On average, Kiwis eat around the 20 percent level. But averages mask high intakes by some people and a lower intake by others.
You don't need to cut out sugar completely. But it makes sense to limit your intake of sugary foods that don't provide much in the way of nutritional value.
Tip: You can work out the number of teaspoons in foods by dividing the grams of sugars given on the label by four (4 g is the amount of sugar in a standard level teaspoon).
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