The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" pointed out that the current per capita daily intake of added sugar (mainly sucrose, that is, "white sugar", "brown sugar", etc.) in China is about 30g, of which the intake of children and adolescents deserves high attention. According to a 2014 survey, children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 who often drink drinks provide more than 5% of the total energy from the added sugars ingested from drinks alone, and urban children are much higher than rural children, and it is on the rise.
Jiangsu Cdtec reminds that sugary drinks are the main source of added sugar for children. Sugary drinks refer to beverages with a sugar content of usually more than 5%, including sugary carbonated drinks, fruit and vegetable juice drinks, sports drinks, tea drinks, milk drinks, plant protein drinks and coffee drinks.
Learn to control sugar in drinks, and have the following points of attention:
First, learn to look at the ingredient list
Glucose, fructose, sucrose (white sugar, rock sugar, brown sugar, caramel, sugar cube) and maltose, honey, glucose syrup, fructose syrup, fructose glucose syrup, maltose syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. in the food ingredient list are all added sugars.
Second, look at nutritional claims
According to China's standards, there are three nutritional claims regarding sugar: sugar-free, low-sugar and reduced sugar.
The sugar content ≤ 5g/100g (or 100ml), which is a "low sugar" food
The sugar content ≤ 0.5g/100g (or 100ml) is a "sugar-free" food.
Compared with the reference food, the sugar content is reduced by more than 25% is a "reduced sugar" food.
Of course, it is not enough to know that nutrition claims, but also to learn and use to avoid the following pitfalls:
Trap one: "0 sucrose" = "0 sugar"?
There are some beverage products on the market that claim "0 sucrose", such advertising language is not in line with the relevant regulations, will confuse and mislead consumers, mistakenly think that "0 sucrose" is equivalent to "0 sugar". Because in addition to sucrose, fructose, honey, maltose syrup, etc. are added sugars.
Trap Two: "Sugar-free" = "Energy-free"?
Sugar-free foods and beverages may have other energy sources and do not equate to "no energy".
Pitfall Three: Can "low-sugar" drinks be drunk freely?
Although some drinks have reached less than 5g of added sugar per 100ml, the total sugar of a bottle of drink should not be underestimated. For example, there is a 600ml drink with a content of 4.8g per 100ml, which can be considered a low-sugar drink, but the total sugar of a bottle of drink reaches 28.8g, and the sugar content is very amazing, so we have to learn to read nutrition labels, even if the "low-sugar" drinks should be limited.
Third, about sweeteners
There are three major categories of sweeteners approved for use in China: one is sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, maltitol, erythritol, etc.; the other is high-power sweeteners, such as cyclamate, saccharin (sodium), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose; third, natural sweeteners, such as steviol glycosides, monk fruit glycosides, etc., provide consumers with a variety of choices.
Sweeteners are widely used in foods because of their high sweetness, low energy, water solubility, and good processability, which can reduce the risk of dental caries caused by sugar intake. However, sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols, are not completely energy-free, among which xylitol contains energy similar to sucrose, sorbitol and mannitol are lower than sucrose, and eating more will increase the risk of overweight and obesity.
In addition, the sweetness of high-power sweeteners is very high, adding a little is very sweet, although the energy they provide in the drink is basically negligible, many merchants call this situation "zero calories", but because it improves the taste of the drink, it will increase the consumption desire of children and adolescents for sugary drinks, which is easy to cause children to refuse to drink boiled water, in addition to affecting appetite and causing dietary imbalance.
What exactly is the healthiest thing to drink?
Water is the best choice for children to replenish fluids that have lost their bodies due to sweating and other conditions. Drinking safe water is the best way for children to stay hydrated.
Yangzi Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter Yang Yan
Proofread by Xu Heng
Source: Purple Cow News