Do you know how much-added sugar there is in your diet? Or, how much is recommended to consume as part of a healthy diet? Many of us are aware that there are a number of high-sugar foods like soft drinks, lollies and chocolate that are best minimised in the diet if we are to keep our added sugar intake below the recommended 25g a day or less. There are though, several foods that are surprisingly high in added sugars that can easily slip on and mean that many of us are consuming upwards of 60g or more than 12 tsp. of added sugars every day. The good news is that there are also some easy swaps to help minimise your intake of sugar and improve your overall nutrient intake as a result

#1. Flavoured oats to whole oats

While oats are a nutrient-rich breakfast choice, there are big differences between the amounts of added sugar in the different types of oats you can find. Generally speaking, most flavoured sachets contain added sugars, with as much as 7-10g or 2 tsp. of added sugars per serving. This is compared to whole oats that contain zero sugars, which can be sweetened with fruit, vanilla essence or cinnamon for a filling breakfast minus any added sugar.

#2. Fruit yoghurt to Greek yoghurt

Another extremely nutrient-rich food, there are many different types of sweet yoghurt, from naturally sweetened with fruit, to varieties with added rice starch or sugar itself, but you can eliminate as much as 5-10g of sugars from your sweet fruit yoghurt by simply swapping to plain Greek or natural yoghurt and adding your own fruit for another zero added sugars snack or meal option.

#3. Sweet chilli sauce to soy sauce

Bottled sauces are notoriously high in added sugars, with most sweet sauces and marinades containing close to 10g sugars or more than 2 tsp, per serve. There are a handful of low or zero-sugar flavour options including soy sauce (although look for lower sodium varieties), chilli sauce and tomato passata as sauce bases that contain no added sugars.

#4. Tomato sauce to tomato relish

Let’s be honest, even as adults many of us are still enjoying our favourite meats with a hearty dollop of BBQ or tomato sauce, which can contain up to 2 tsp. of sugars per single tablespoon. A swap to a chutney or relish will mean that you still get plenty of flavour minus the added sugars.

#5. Salad dressing with olive oil and vinegar

While you are better off enjoying your salad with a little dressing than none at all, the truth is that most commercial salad dressings have upwards of 8g of sugars per serve, or close to 2 tsp. of added sugars. A mix of Extra Virgin Olive oil with vinegar though has zero added sugars and also tastes a whole lot better than most processed dressings.

#6. Honey or jam to nut spread

They can be quick and easy toast toppers but the reality is that both jam and honey are concentrated sources of added sugars to the diet, and let’s be honest, few of us spread thinly. A simple swap to a 100% nut spread, of which there is a growing range in supermarkets you will be adding plenty of good fats to the diet and no extra sugars.

The DASH diet is your best friend for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Image: Pexels.