In the past month both the British and South African governments have announced the introduction of a tax on sugar sweetened drinks in their respective budgets. It may seem like an odd thing to add a surcharge to, but these two nations are not alone in their desire to target the sweet stuff. France, Mexico, and Norway have been taxing sugary drinks for a number of years and Denmark first introduced a sugar tax in the 1930s (although the government has since reversed this decision.) America has also seen as many as 33 of its 50 states imposing a tariff on fizzy drinks. The motivation behind this bid to increase the cost and consequently reduce the amount of sugar-filled beverages being purchased is to attempt to slow the alarming increase in obesity in these various nations, specifically amongst teenagers.

A little goes a long way

The recommended amount of sugar per day for a person over the age of 11 is around 30g. That’s approximately six teaspoons of sugar per day. Considering that a single can of coke contains 36g of sugar you can see how difficult it can be to stay within the healthy limits. Sadly it’s not just soft drinks that push sugar consumption through the roof. Cereals, sweets, fruit juices, and most processed foods all have hidden (and not so hidden) sugars in them and that’s before we add extra ourselves.

The truth hurts

It’s easy to see where all the sugar is coming from, but maybe the bigger question is what effect too much sugar is having beyond the tightening of waistbands.

  • It’s bad for your teeth
  • It worsens cholesterol, which can contribute to heart disease
  • It causes damage to your liver
  • It can cause type II diabetes
  • It can contribute to cancer
  • It is addictive
  • It increases the signs of aging

These are just a few of the adverse effects sugar can have on the human body when consumed beyond the recommended levels. You would think that with such a depressing list of undesirable side-effects it would be easy to just say no and make better choices but anyone who’s attempted to reduce their sugar intake will tell you it can be a hard habit to kick. It is possible to limit the amount of sugar in your diet and here are a few ways to begin:

  • Reduce the amount of sugar you add to drinks. If you’re a tea or coffee drinker and take sugar in your beverage of choice, begin to cut back, even as little as half a spoonful at a time. It may take a while to get used to having a half spoon less of sugar but you will adjust and then you can drop another half spoon until you stop adding sugar altogether. If you drink two or three (or five) cups of coffee a day and are adding two spoons of sugar to each, that’s a huge reduction if you can cut that out.
  • Turn on the tap. Fizzy drinks are known to contain large amounts of sugar, but even fruit juices and flavoured waters contain much more sugar than you may realise. Instead of choosing sweeter bottled options grab a glass of water instead. It’s cheaper and definitely won’t contain sugar. If you struggle with water in its natural form add a slice of lemon.
  • Learn to read food labels. Food companies are sneaky and can very often hide sugar in food under different names. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, molasses, corn syrup, and honey are all sugars by another name. If you know what you’re looking for, it’s easier to avoid.
  • As close to the ground as possible. Where possible avoid food that has been processed by food companies. Try and buy items that are as close as possible to the way that they have been grown. Instead of tinned vegetables, like tomatoes, choose fresh. Your food will be less likely to have hidden extras.
  • Don’t give up all at once. If you try and cut out all sugar all at once it’s going to be really hard to keep it up. Cut back slowly and stick at it. Rather reduce bit by bit and make the changes permanent than cut back all at once and crash hard.