Reducing Sugar | Cutting Out Sugar

A Change4Life character dropping a range of unhealthy foods from one hand and balancing a range of healthier foods in the other hand

Be sugar smart

Kids are getting half their sugar intake from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks. It's time for some food smart choices!

Kids are getting a lot of their sugar from...

Fizzy drinks
Juice drinks

Buns
Cakes
Pastries
Biscuits

Breakfast cereals
Yoghurts

Sweets
Chocolate
Ice cream

* Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2018

How sugar affects our kids

"X-ray" image of an illustrated person, showing fat building up in their body and their stomach full of sugar

Too much sugar is bad for children's health as it can lead to the build-up of harmful fat on the inside that we can't see. This fat can cause weight gain and serious diseases like type 2 diabetes, which people are getting younger than ever before, and heart disease and some cancers. It can also lead to painful tooth decay and every 10 minutes, a child in England has a tooth removed in hospital.

How much is too much?

The maximum daily amounts of added sugar are:

4 to 6 years

7 to 10 years

11+ years

* 1 cube = 4g sugar

What you need to know about...

Added sugar

When we talk about added sugar, we mean sugar that has been added to food and drink to sweeten it. It could be added by the food manufacturer, by a cook or chef, or by you at home. It doesn't just mean the sugar you add to your tea — it also includes honey, syrups, fruit juice and nectars.

A glass of milk and a lower-sugar yoghurt

Milk and plain yoghurts

You don't need to worry about the sugar in plain milk and yoghurts as this isn't added sugar.

Fruit and veg

You don't need to worry about the sugar in whole fruits and vegetables because this isn't added sugar. Plus they contain vitamins and minerals, are a great source of fibre, and count towards your 5 A Day. But remember to keep dried fruit to mealtimes to protect your teeth.

Only have one one-hundred-and-fifty millilitre glass of juice as part of your 5 A Day

Juice and smoothies

Fruit and vegetable juice and smoothies are sugary. They still count towards your 5 A Day, but remember to limit the amount to no more than 150ml a day – and keep to mealtimes as they can cause tooth decay.

A box of low-sugar wheat biscuits scattering the naughty Change4Life sugar cube invaders

Tips

There can be a lot of sugar in everyday food and drinks. Try our food smart tips to help you cut back!

Easy ways to cut back

Change4Life character holding a "Swap me" sign

Make a sugar swap

Help your child cut back with great sugar swap ideas and discover easy ways to make a swap when you next shop.

Make a sugar swap

Help your child cut back with great sugar swap ideas and discover easy ways to make a swap when you next shop.

A Change4LIfe character holding a magnifying glass over the label of a split-pot yoghurt. The label says "6 cubes" and a sugar invader creature is sitting on the top of the pot.

Try the calculator

It's surprising just how quickly the sugar in everyday food and drink can add up. Use our interactive sugar calculator to find out how much your child may be having.

Try the calculator

It's surprising just how quickly the sugar in everyday food and drink can add up. Use our interactive sugar calculator to find out how much your child may be having.

A bottle of water and glass of plain milk

Drink smart

A quarter of the sugar kids have every day comes from sugary drinks. Swap soft drinks, juice drinks and flavoured milks for water, lower-fat milks and diet, sugar-free, or no-added sugar drinks. Get tips and easy drink swaps.

Drink smart

A smartphone with the Food Scanner app being used

Sugar smart shopper

Use the Food Scanner app to see how much sugar is in your favourite food or drink — look for products that are low in sugar!

Liven up your yoghurt

Choose low fat, lower-sugar yoghurt instead of sugary yoghurt, ice cream and sugary desserts. Make it more interesting by adding some chopped fruit or berries.

DIY snacks

Ask your kids to help prepare healthier snacks from a selection of fruit, low sugar cereal and unsalted nuts – they're more likely to eat it if they've made it.

Only have 1 one-hundred-and-fifty millilitre glass of fruit juice in your 5 A Day

5 A DAY and fruit juice

Fruit juice counts as one of your 5 A Day, no matter how much you have. So limit the amount you and your kids drink to no more than 150ml a day.

A bar of chocolate with a yellow "No" cross over it

Leave it on the shelf

It's the simplest trick in the book – but if you don't have biscuits and sweets in the house, you won't be able to eat them!

Go bananas!

Try adding a sliced banana to wholewheat biscuits or low fat, lower-sugar yoghurt. You can also use it as a healthy topping for toast – a great way to get one of your 5 A Day.

See more tips

Sugar smart shopper

Use the Food Scanner app to see how much sugar is in your favourite food or drink — look for products that are low in sugar!

Liven up your yoghurt

Choose low fat, lower-sugar yoghurt instead of sugary yoghurt, ice cream and sugary desserts. Make it more interesting by adding some chopped fruit or berries.

DIY snacks

Ask your kids to help prepare healthier snacks from a selection of fruit, low sugar cereal and unsalted nuts – they're more likely to eat it if they've made it.

5 A DAY and fruit juice

Fruit juice counts as one of your 5 A Day, no matter how much you have. So limit the amount you and your kids drink to no more than 150ml a day.

Leave it on the shelf

It's the simplest trick in the book – but if you don't have biscuits and sweets in the house, you won't be able to eat them!

Go bananas!

Try adding a sliced banana to wholewheat biscuits or low fat, lower-sugar yoghurt. You can also use it as a healthy topping for toast – a great way to get one of your 5 A Day.

Shop smart

At the supermarket, look out for sugar-free and lower-sugar versions of your family favourites.

A Change4Life character pushing a shopping trolley

Skip the sweetie aisle

Keep temptation out of the way. Swerve past the sweetie aisle in the supermarket and steer clear of checkouts with unhealthy treats on display.

Skip the sweetie aisle

Keep temptation out of the way. Swerve past the sweetie aisle in the supermarket and steer clear of checkouts with unhealthy treats on display.

A bottle of water and carton of plain milk

Bigger isn't better

The big bottles of fizzy drinks and juice may seem like a good deal – but you're just getting more sugar! Don't be tempted: choose water, lower-fat milks, sugar-free or no-added sugar drinks instead.

Bigger isn't better

The Change4Life "Good Choice" badge; a yellow badge with a green thumbs-up in the middle, and "Good Choice" and "Change4Life" written around the edges

Spot the badge

Look for the Change4Life 'Good Choice' badge in store and when shopping online to help you find reduced sugar and no-added sugar versions of your regular brands.

Spot the badge

Look for the Change4Life 'Good Choice' badge in store and when shopping online to help you find reduced sugar and no-added sugar versions of your regular brands.

Get the free Food Scanner app

Scan barcodes using the app to find out what's inside popular food and drink.

Image from the Food Scanner TV advert: Change4Life characters holding up a box of sugary cereal, and a hand holding a smartphone with the Food Scanner app showing how much sugar is in the cereal

If you don't have the app...

Some food labels have traffic light coloured labels to show the sugar content. Choose more greens and ambers, and fewer reds.

Red means this food is HIGH in sugar. Think about how often you choose it and how much of it you eat.

Amber means this food has a MEDIUM amount of sugar. This makes it an OK choice, although going for green is even better.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sugar

Be sugar smart

Kids are getting a lot of their sugar from...

How sugar affects our kids

How much is too much?

4 to 6 years

7 to 10 years

11+ years

What you need to know about...

Added sugar

Milk and plain yoghurts

Fruit and veg

Juice and smoothies

Tips

Easy ways to cut back

Make a sugar swap

Make a sugar swap

Try the calculator

Try the calculator

Drink smart

Drink smart

Sugar smart shopper

Liven up your yoghurt

DIY snacks

5 A DAY and fruit juice

Leave it on the shelf

Go bananas!

Sugar smart shopper

Liven up your yoghurt

DIY snacks

5 A DAY and fruit juice

Leave it on the shelf

Go bananas!

Shop smart

Skip the sweetie aisle

Skip the sweetie aisle

Bigger isn't better

Bigger isn't better

Spot the badge

Spot the badge

Get the free Food Scanner app

If you don't have the app...

Check out our other pages

Cut back on sat fat

Watch the salt

Healthier Lunchboxes

Boost your 5 A DAY

10 Minute Shake Ups

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