Plenty of people are sure they eat very little sugar because they don't add it to their tea. Then they look at the label on their "healthy" yoghurt or granola and get a shock.

Most of the sugar we eat is not the sugar we spoon in ourselves. It is already in packaged food, and it goes by dozens of names. The good news is that labels have got much better at showing it, once you know where to look.

Directions for use

  • Look for the Added Sugars line on the Nutrition Facts label. It separates sugar put in during processing from sugar found naturally in fruit and milk.
  • 4 grams of sugar is about 1 teaspoon.
  • The American Heart Association suggests women keep added sugar to about 6 teaspoons (25 grams) a day.
  • Always check the serving size and how many servings a pack holds.
  • Sugar has more than 50 names. If several appear in one ingredient list, the product is sweeter than it looks.

How much is too much?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend keeping added sugars below 10% of daily calories. That's about 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet. The American Heart Association goes further and suggests no more than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) a day for most women.

The average American eats well over that, mostly from sweetened drinks, desserts, breakfast cereals and snacks.

Six label-reading tips

1. Find the Added Sugars line

Since 2020, U.S. Nutrition Facts labels show Total Sugars and, indented beneath it, Includes Xg Added Sugars, with a % Daily Value. The added figure is the one to watch. A plain yoghurt might show 6 grams of total sugar and 0 added, all from the milk. A fruit yoghurt might show 20 grams with 14 added.

A quick guide to the % Daily Value: 5% or less is low, 20% or more is high.

2. Turn grams into teaspoons

Divide the grams by four. A 150 g fruit-on-the-bottom yoghurt with 16 grams of added sugar holds 4 teaspoons. Seen as teaspoons, it is easier to decide whether it is worth it.

3. Check the servings per container

All the numbers on the label are per serving, and the serving is often smaller than you'd eat. A bottle of iced tea may say 2.5 servings. Drink the whole bottle and you must multiply everything by 2.5.

4. Read the ingredient list

Ingredients are listed by weight, heaviest first. Watch for:

  • Anything ending in "-ose": sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose
  • Syrups: corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, malt syrup, maple syrup, golden syrup, agave
  • "Natural" sugars that are still added sugar: honey, molasses, coconut sugar, cane juice, evaporated cane juice, date sugar, fruit juice concentrate
  • Others: caramel, maltodextrin, invert sugar, barley malt

Manufacturers sometimes use three or four types of sugar in one product, so that none of them appears first on the list. Add them up in your head.

5. Understand "sugar-free", "reduced" and "no added sugar"

  • Sugar-free means less than 0.5 grams per serving. Several servings can still add up.
  • Reduced sugar means at least 25% less than the regular version of the same product, which can still be a lot.
  • No added sugar means none was added during processing. The food may still be naturally high in sugar, like dried fruit or juice.

Sugar-free products often use sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol) or other sweeteners instead. They have fewer calories, but large amounts of sugar alcohols can upset your stomach.

6. Compare sugar with total carbohydrate

For breads, cereals and crackers, look at how much of the total carbohydrate is sugar. Choose products with more fibre and less sugar, ideally at least 3 grams of fibre per serving for cereals and breads.

Where hidden sugar lurks

The obvious sources are sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks. The surprising ones include:

  • Flavoured yoghurts and "fruit" pots
  • Granola and "healthy" breakfast cereals
  • Pasta sauces, ketchup and barbecue sauce
  • Salad dressings, especially low-fat ones
  • Bread, including many wholemeal loaves
  • Flavoured coffees, iced teas and smoothies
  • Protein and cereal bars

Small swaps that add up

  • Buy plain yoghurt and add your own fruit and a drizzle of honey. You control the dose.
  • Choose unsweetened versions of plant milks, oats and nut butters.
  • Make salad dressing at home: olive oil, lemon or vinegar, mustard and a pinch of salt.
  • Cut sweetened drinks first. They are the biggest single source of added sugar.

The bottom line

You don't have to give up sweet things. You just need to see them. Check the Added Sugars line, turn grams into teaspoons and keep an eye on serving sizes. And if the ingredient list is full of words you'd never cook with, there is probably a simpler version on the next shelf.