World Health Organization suggested limiting added and free sugars to 6 teaspoons/25g per day and no more than 5% of total daily energy intake should come from added sugars. Our team think this is too high and suggest sticking to just naturally occurring sugars from whole foods, such as fruit, vegetables, milk or milk based products, as they are not considered an added sugar. They are packaged with fibre, other nutrients and water. This slows down sugar absorption into the blood, and access to the liver.

We suggest to limit dried fruit as much as possible. Not only is it bad for your teeth but without the water content the sugars are more concentrated, and we can eat more of the fruit as the water would normally help us feel full.

It all depends on their age. Public Health England (PHE) has advised the maximum daily amount of sugar.

For 4-6 year olds: under five teaspoons per day (19g) of added sugar.

7-10 years olds under 6 teaspoons (24g) and 11 years and up seven teaspoons (30g)

As Sugar has no nutritional value there is no need to add to it to a Childs diet, especially not daily. It is fine on special occasions. We do not think we should be forced to eat the food manufacturers sugar laden products.

First you need to be aware of where the sugar is hiding. Then how much you are eating per day. A food diary is a good way to start monitoring it. Focus on reducing the ‘added’ sugar in your diet. Most of the sugar we eat is ‘hidden’ as manufacturers have put it into a lot of the food and drinks we buy .They add sugar to increase the shelf life, hide the flavours and make us buy more of them! Best to make simple swaps rather than go cold turkey. Perhaps choose brands that have lower sugar content and get your sweetness from fruits and vegetables. It is easier to cut down on sugar if your family or colleagues are also doing it.

Like all changes in your habits it will take time and there will be ups and downs. The first stage is awareness so congratulations on the first step.

We find it helps if you have a support network around you who understand what you are doing.

Preparation is key-swap high sugar foods for lower sugar foods.

Cook from scratch and plan batch cooking so you can control what is going in your food.

When you are going out look at the menu in advance and perhaps choose restaurants with healthier options.

Start a food diary and celebrate small wins. If you stay off something for a few weeks, the cravings go away, and if you have ever successfully given something up, they can do that with something else.

Also set a quit date and give it a go.

Perhaps sit down and explain to him why you want to make a change. Maybe he can have his sweets at work or when you are not around and make sure they are out of sight.

Explain to your friends what you are doing so they can support you. They may even join you when they see how healthy and how much energy you have.

It takes time don’t beat yourself up. It’s a journey and can take time. Celebrate all your small wins.

Start reading the food labels. Read our blog on labelling. Remember the higher up the ingredients list sugar is the more of it is in the product. Some manufacturers now put the traffic light system on the packs- look for as many green lights as you can. Sugar hides in 56 different names. You can try apps that can chart it for you such as Change4Life Food Scanner. Remember the healthiest foods do not need a label-REAL food such as meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, nuts and seeds.

Sweeteners are insanely sweet. Anywhere from 180 – 13,000 times sweeter than sugar!

Your taste receptors over time become accustomed to such intensity. As a result, finding sweetness in fruit will be difficult, and non-sweet, bitter, more complex tasting foods such as broccoli will become intolerable.

Using sweeteners can be okay in the short term whilst reducing high levels of sugar in your diet. Studies show that artificial sweeteners have been proven to tease your brain into being even hungrier and thus encourage us to eat more. When we taste something sweet, the body prepares itself to receive and utilise the sugars coming its way through the digestive track. However, artificial sweeteners are not sugar and will not supply the expected glucose expected. Therefore, we react with increased hunger signals for more sweet stuff in search of the sugar that misleadingly the body believed was on its way.

Not true. It is important to understand Sugar not only lacks any nutritional value, it is not essential. Our bodies make sugar so we do not need to eat it. In fact, it seems to increase the energy slump and a feeling of fatigue an hour after sugar consumption.

At the end of the day, the need for sugar (glucose) arises from the need for energy. And we can easily get energy from vegetables, meats, dairy products and seeds. Anything man-made is not necessary for our diets

To your body, all sources of sugar are the same. Less processed sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup, contain more nutrients than highly processed ones, like white sugar. But the amounts of these nutrients are teeny tiny, so they probably won’t have a measurable impact on your health.

Sugar in the diet can be found in 3 forms. Sugar can be:

Natural – e.g.  in fruit and vegetable

Added – e.g. in biscuits or cereals

The product of the digestion of more complex carbohydrates (e.g. bread)

Tooth decay or dental caries is a bacterial infection in your tooth. It needs sugar, bacteria and time in order to occur. We all produce plaque, a sticky layer of bacteria. When you eat or drink foods containing sugars, this bacteria produce acids that attack tooth enamel. This acid starts to dissolve your tooth until eventually a hole or cavity appears. Read more here

Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease where either your pancreas can’t make enough insulin or the insulin your pancreas makes doesn’t work properly. This leads to high blood glucose levels which can lead to serious problems with your eyes, heart, feet and kidneys. It is usually linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes. It can be managed and even reversed by cutting out sugary and starchy foods, being more active and losing weight

Recognition makes people feel really good about themselves. Most people just want to be appreciated and acknowledged for their efforts. What motivates person varies for person to person. Try asking the person. At the Rewards Project we believe food or drink should never be used as a Reward. It is fine having the occasional cake, biscuit, chocolate bar but it should be occasional and not every day. We also believe you should have the knowledge to know what you are eating and how it breaks down in your body so you can make informed decisions.

See a list of brilliant rewards that do not involve food HERE

Send a stamped addressed envelope to Rewards Project, 2a Bow Lane, London ec4m 9ee and we will send one free of charge to you.

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