The Different Types of Sugar
Natural sugars found in whole fruit, vegetables and dairy come packaged with fibre, water, protein and micronutrients that slow absorption and provide nutritional value. Added sugars — sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose — are extracted and concentrated. Your liver processes them differently, and the health impacts are very different.
What Too Much Sugar Does to Your Body
Excess sugar drives insulin resistance (the precursor to type 2 diabetes), promotes fat storage especially around the liver and abdomen, feeds cancer cells, causes skin glycation (accelerated ageing), drives inflammation, disrupts gut bacteria, and creates a cycle of blood sugar spikes and crashes that fuel cravings.
The WHO Recommendation
The World Health Organisation recommends limiting free/added sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake — around 50g per day for an average adult. For additional health benefits, they suggest reducing to less than 5% — approximately 25g (6 teaspoons) per day. Most Australians consume 3–4 times this amount.
Hidden Sugar: Where It Hides
Sugar hides in savoury products like tomato sauce, salad dressings, bread, crackers, flavoured nuts, yogurt and "health" bars. On ingredient labels, look for: sucrose, fructose, glucose, corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, galactose, and any word ending in "-ose". Manufacturers use multiple sugar types to push sugar lower down the ingredients list.
How to Reduce Sugar Intake Practically
Swap soft drinks for sparkling water. Choose plain yogurt and add fresh fruit. Cook sauces from scratch. Eat whole fruit instead of juice. Choose plain oats over sweetened cereals. Read labels — anything with more than 10g sugar per 100g is a high-sugar product. Retrain your palate gradually over 2–4 weeks.
⚠️ Shocking Sugar Content in Everyday Foods
Coca-Cola (375ml can)
39g (10 tsp)More than the WHO daily limit of 25g in a single drink.
Flavoured Yogurt (200g)
20–28gOften marketed as healthy — check labels carefully.
Fruit Juice (250ml)
25–30gSame sugar as soft drink, without the fibre.
Muesli Bar (1 bar)
10–18gHealth halo product — often mostly sugar and oats.
Tomato Sauce (1 tbsp)
4gEasy to consume multiple serves without realising.
Breakfast Cereal (30g serving)
8–15gMany cereals are 25–50% sugar by weight.
Flavoured Milk (250ml)
25–35gA glass of chocolate milk can equal a soft drink's sugar.
Sports Drink (500ml)
30–34gOnly appropriate during intense exercise over 60 mins.
Related Nutrition Guides
- How much fruit is too much? — see our fruit sugar guide
- Can fruit make you fat? — see our fruit and weight guide
- How much fruit is a serving? — see our serving size guide
- Are fruit smoothies good for you? — see our smoothie guide
- Foods to avoid for weight loss — see our weight loss guide
- How much orange juice is too much? — see our juice limit guide
Frequently Asked Questions
The World Health Organization recommends limiting added sugars to less than 10 percent of total energy intake, ideally less than 5 percent for additional health benefits. For an adult consuming 2,000 calories, this means less than 50g (12 teaspoons) per day, ideally less than 25g (6 teaspoons). Children should have less than 25g per day. Natural sugars in fruit and milk do not count toward this limit.
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