The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization collectively refer to sugar and syrup added to food during food production and preparation as "added sugar". Common white sugar, soft candy, brown sugar, corn syrup and glucose syrup in daily life belong to added sugar. These added sugars are mainly used to produce common packaged drinks such as soda, fruit juice and lactic acid drinks, as well as foods such as desserts and sweets. Some added sugar is also used in daily cooking, making tea, fruit juice and cakes.
The main sources of sugar added by China residents include: sugar added in cooking, sugar added in processed foods such as cakes, and sugar added in sugary drinks. Different people have different sources of added sugar, so the emphasis on reducing the intake of added sugar is different.
Put less sugar in cooking.
Residents in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai often add sugar to increase the sweetness when cooking some dishes at home, which is an important source of sugar for residents in this area. It is suggested to add less sugar when cooking, or to replace natural ingredients with sweetness. Another main source of added sugar in sweets is packaged food, cakes and ice cream. Reducing the intake of this kind of food can obviously control the intake of added sugar. When buying this kind of food, you should pay attention to reading the relevant contents on the nutrition label and choose foods with low sugar content.
Drink less sugar when drinking coffee.
If you drink coffee with sugar, a small packet of sugar is 5 grams. If you drink several cups of coffee with sugar a day, the intake of added sugar will exceed the standard. Therefore, it is recommended to drink coffee with less sugar or pure coffee.
Do not drink or drink less.
It is estimated that more than half of the existing beverages in China belong to sugary beverages. For children and adolescents, sugary drinks are one of the main sources of added sugar. Excessive drinking will increase the risk of chronic diseases such as overweight and obesity. It is recommended not to drink or drink less sugary drinks. In addition, many people like to choose sugary drinks when eating out, and feel that drinking boiled water is tasteless. The sweetness or other tastes of drinks can stimulate the oral taste and increase the sense of pleasure. It is suggested to use boiled water instead of sugary drinks, or to drink green tea, black tea, chrysanthemum tea, barley tea and so on. It can not only satisfy people's tastes, but also be beneficial to health.
There is no need to add sugar to baby food.
According to the survey report released by the World Health Organization, from the baby food sampled in the markets of Britain, Denmark and Spain, some manufacturers add fruit puree to the food to increase the sugar content. If you eat these foods regularly, it will increase the health risks of dental caries and obesity in infants and young children. It is suggested that manufacturers should not add sugar to the food of infants under 3 years old. China's National Standard for Food Safety Infant Formula Milk Powder (Draft for Comment) and National Standard for Food Safety Infant Formula Milk Powder (Draft for Comment) stipulate that sucrose is prohibited in infant formula milk powder (paragraph 1) and older infant formula milk powder (paragraph 2), but it is prohibited in infant formula milk powder (paragraph 3).
The state has issued relevant sugar reduction policies.
In order to improve the oral health care level of children, the elderly and other key groups, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the Healthy Oral Action Plan (20 19-2025), in which "reducing blood sugar" is an important work content. The "Program" pointed out that primary and secondary schools and kindergartens should restrict the sale of high-sugar drinks and snacks, and canteens should also reduce the supply of high-sugar drinks and high-sugar foods. Encourage enterprises to mark "low sugar" or "sugar-free" to improve consumers' ability to confirm the addition of sugar to food nutrition labels. It is suggested to add tobacco-based health warning labels to food labels, such as "drinking beverages containing added sugar can easily lead to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay". Restrict misleading or inducing words in advertisements of sugary drinks, such as "more beneficial to health" and "has certain function".
Text: Professor Ma Guansheng of Peking University Public Health College.