How do I eat less sugar? Start with drinks, then labels

How do I eat less sugar? Start with what you drink, because sweetened drinks are one of the biggest sources of added sugar for most people. Then learn to read the Added Sugars line on food labels, and cut back gradually rather than all at once. You do not need to give up fruit, milk or the occasional dessert. The aim is fewer of the sugars you do not notice, not a life without anything sweet.

How much sugar is too much?

The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars below 10 percent of daily energy, and says going below 5 percent, roughly 25 grams or six teaspoons a day, brings further benefit. In the United States, the FDA uses a Daily Value of 50 grams of added sugars for a 2,000-calorie diet, which matches the Dietary Guidelines' advice to stay under 10 percent of calories.

For comparison, the CDC reports that American adults averaged about 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day in 2017 to 2018. Most people are not eating a little too much. They are eating roughly double the upper limit, mostly without noticing.

Which sugars count, and which do not

Not all sugar is the target. The WHO guideline covers free sugars: the sugar added to food and drinks by a manufacturer, a cook or you, plus the sugar naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juice. It does not apply to the sugar inside whole fresh fruit, vegetables or plain milk, because the review behind the guideline found no reported evidence of harm from those.

That distinction is freeing. An apple is not the problem. A glass of apple juice, which carries the sugar without the fibre that slows you down, counts toward the limit.

Step 1: change what you drink

The CDC lists sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts and sweet snacks as the leading sources of added sugar. Drinks come first for a reason: according to the WHO, a single can of soda can hold up to 40 grams of free sugar, about ten teaspoons. That is more than a whole day's worth at the stricter 5 percent level, in a few minutes, without feeling full.

Practical swaps that people tend to stick with:

• Sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or lime in place of soda.
• Coffee or tea with half the sugar you use now, then half again a few weeks later.
• Whole fruit instead of juice, or juice cut half and half with water.
• A smaller size when you do have the sweet drink you love, rather than banning it.

If you are building a water habit at the same time, our guide to how much water to drink a day covers what counts.

Step 2: read one line on the label

On US food labels, look for the line that says Includes Xg Added Sugars, directly under Total Sugars. Total Sugars mixes in natural sugar from milk and fruit; Added Sugars is the number that matters here. The FDA's rule of thumb for the percent Daily Value next to it is simple: 5 percent or less is low, 20 percent or more is high.

The ingredients list helps too. Added sugar goes by many names, including sucrose, dextrose, glucose, corn syrup, honey, malt syrup and fruit juice concentrate. When several of these appear, the sugar is spread across the list and adds up to more than any one entry suggests.

Watch the foods that do not taste sweet. The WHO notes that a single tablespoon of ketchup holds about a teaspoon of sugar. Flavoured yoghurt, granola, breakfast cereal, pasta sauce, salad dressing and bread often carry more than people guess.

Step 3: cut back in steps, not overnight

Abrupt bans tend to end in a rebound. A gentler approach works better for most people:

1. Pick one source. The afternoon soda, the sugared coffee, the dessert every night. Change only that for two weeks.
2. Halve before you remove. Half the sugar in your coffee, a smaller bowl of cereal topped with fruit, one biscuit instead of three.
3. Buy plain, sweeten yourself. Plain yoghurt or oats with your own fruit or a small drizzle of honey almost always ends up with less sugar than the flavoured version.
4. Keep a protein or fibre partner. Something sweet alongside a meal tends to satisfy more than the same thing eaten alone on an empty stomach.
5. Plan the treats you care about. Dessert you look forward to on the weekend is fine. It is the sugar you never noticed eating that adds up.

Taste adjusts. Many people find that after a few weeks of less sugar, drinks and snacks they used to enjoy taste too sweet. Give it time before deciding a change is not working.

Patience beats perfection

Eating less sugar is a food habit, and food habits take weeks to settle. Some days will go sideways: a birthday, a long shift, a bad night's sleep. One day does not undo a month. If you are tracking your weight at the same time, expect day-to-day noise from water and salt rather than sugar alone, which our article on why weight fluctuates by five pounds explains.

If you track your body as part of the change, Orbit keeps a weight and measurements record with a trend line, deliberately kept apart from your daily score, so a heavy morning never costs you anything. The trend over weeks is what tells the story, and the daily wins are the drinks you swapped.

If you have a medical condition that affects how you handle sugar, or you are unsure what is right for you, a doctor or registered dietitian can give advice that fits your situation.