Beware hidden sugar in drinks!
We all know soft drinks are high in sugar but how high, exactly?
A study by Ben’s Natural Health (an online supplement shop based in UK), looked into some of the most popular drinks and compared them based on their sugar content. It is a bit dangerous just to judge these drinks by sugar content but it was compared to WHO’s daily recommended limit.
The aim was to create a ranking system called the Hidden Sugar Index (HIS) to fairly capture the overall sugar load of a drink and how densely sweetened it is. The research analysed a wide range of popular ready-to-drink beverages, covering everything from fruit juices to flavoured waters and soft drinks.
A number of fruit-based or healthy-sounding drinks even when marketed as natural or as a better choice, had a high sugar content. The study emphasises the ‘hidden’ nature of sugar where we might assume that a juice or a flavoured water is healthier, but the sugar impact tells a different story.
Excess sugar consumption is strongly linked with a range of health concerns. The study shines a light on how perception and reality diverge when it comes to our beverage choices. Rather than relying on marketing or packaging to guide our choices, the research encourages a closer look at nutritional labels, particularly sugar content which is often listed as ‘g’ or total carbohydrate if sugar is included.
Some practical advice given by the research is to treat juice and flavoured water with the same caution you apply to other beverages by checking the sugar content.
Opt for plain water, sparkling water, or unsweetened drinks when possible. If choosing a sweet drink, consider it an occasional treat rather than an everyday habit and remember that even natural sugars (from fruit or honey) contribute to overall sugar intake.
The data makes an interesting read with Monster Energy Drink being on top the list with a sugar load index of 79.4 (out of 100) closely followed by grape juice with 75.6. I would have chosen grape juice over a fruit smoothie which came in at 72.6 and I would have been so wrong.
You might want to reconsider your favourite chai latte which is quite high with 63.6. Weirdly, Pepsi and Coca Cola were below with 58.1 and 52.6. Vitamin water, which can be advertised as sugar free, came in at 32.4. The best alternative next to plain water was coconut water with a sugar load index of 20.9.
Sugar is a flavour enhancer and used to add flavour to a product that would otherwise have no appeal to the consumer. The same goes with salt. Many ready-made meals have a concentrated salt content to add flavour to a mediocre product.
Manufacturers and marketeers know very well how to disguise sugar and salt levels in food and drink products. Sugar is often listed as glucose, fructose, sucrose, corn syrup while salt can be listed as sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate and sodium nitrate. Very rarely will consumers see the real content of salt and sugar.
The responsibility is effectively pushed onto the customer, who has to play novice chemist just to decode what’s in their food. In reality, it should be the manufacturer’s job to make ingredient lists clear and easy to understand.