A new WHO guideline recommends that adults and children should reduce their daily free sugar intake to less than 10% of their total energy intake. Further reductions below 5% or about 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day will have more health benefits.
What is free sugar?
Free sugar refers to sugar added to foods and beverages by manufacturers, chefs or consumers, as well as sugars naturally found in honey, syrup, fruit juices and concentrated juices. It does not include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and sugars that are naturally found in food.
What effect does free sugar have on human health?
Excessive intake of free sugar can affect oral diseases such as dental caries, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, cataracts, myopia, and fractures.
How to reduce sugar?
1. Actively reduce sugar and adhere to light eating habits.
2. Choose alternatives. Use natural fruit and homemade unsweetened yoghurt instead of sweets. When cooking, lemon juice, orange peel, vinegar, parsley, etc. can be used instead of sugar to add flavor to the food, reducing the cooking style of thick oil and sweet taste.
3. Look at the nutrient composition table.
Common Sense:
Monk fruit extract is derived from the pulp of the fruit and is used to sweeten foods and beverages without the calories of sugar. In addition, the extract appears to lower both blood sugar and blood lipids in experimental models of animal diabetes.The active sweet substances appear to be the mogrosides which are about 2- 300 times the as sweet as table sugar. The mogrosides also function as antioxidants, potentially limiting the oxidative damage caused by high levels of blood glucose.