No added sugar: how to cut back and spot hidden sugar

No added sugar means no sugar added to food – whole fruit stays. The WHO advises under 10% of energy from free sugars: about 50 g a day at 2,000 kcal.

A no added sugar diet means you leave out the sugar that’s added to food and drinks – whole fruit stays on the menu. It’s about cutting back on sugar, not banning every sweet taste. Sugar often hides where you don’t expect it: in ready-made sauces, fruit yoghurt, cereal and drinks. Leave it out, and there’s more room for filling food with more nutrients.

What counts as added sugar

The WHO talks about free sugars: all sugar added to food and drinks – by manufacturers or by you in the kitchen – plus the sugar in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Sugar in whole fruit doesn’t count: fruit comes with its fibre.

Honey, syrups and fruit juice count towards these amounts too.

Why too much sugar is a problem

Sugar gives you energy but hardly any vitamins, minerals or fibre – that’s why it’s called “empty calories”. In sweet drinks and sweets it comes with little to fill you up, and many people are hungry again soon after.

In research, a long-term high sugar intake is linked with insulin resistance and with fat being stored, especially around the abdomen and in the liver. Those are links found in studies, not proof that sugar alone is the cause.

Less sugar, more room for fibre

Whether a very high-sugar diet changes the bacteria in your gut is still being researched. What’s certain: if you eat fewer sweet things, there’s more room for fibre from vegetables, pulses and wholegrains. Ideas in our guides to a high-fibre diet and 30 plants a week.

What to sweeten with instead

The easiest way: get used to less sweetness step by step. When you do sweeten:

• Fruit: ripe banana, unsweetened apple purée or berries sweeten porridge, yoghurt and cake batter – and bring fibre with them.
• Dates: blended, they work well in bars and cakes, but they’re calorie-dense.
• Honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar: what we sweeten with at SmarTasty. They’re still sugar, though – so use them sparingly, about 1 tsp instead of 1 tbsp.
• No sweeteners or sugar alcohols: we don’t recommend them. The WHO advises against relying on non-sugar sweeteners. Sugar alcohols such as xylitol or erythritol can have a laxative effect in larger amounts, and xylitol is poisonous to dogs.

Hidden sugar: where it is and what it’s called

Sugar hides in ketchup, dressings, spice mixes, fruit yoghurt, cereal and drinks. On the ingredients list it often goes by another name:

• Syrups: glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, invert sugar syrup.
• Words ending in -ose: dextrose, glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose.
• From fruit: fruit juice concentrate.
• Also sugar: malt extract, molasses, honey, maple syrup.

Tip: Make your own dressing in a minute: olive oil, vinegar, mustard and herbs.

How to cut out sugar, step by step

1. Look at your drinks first: sweet drinks and fruit juice count as free sugars.
2. Swap fruit yoghurt for natural yoghurt and let berries do the sweetening.
3. Make sauces and dressings yourself instead of buying them ready-made.
4. Check ingredients lists for the names above.
5. When you sweeten, use less: 1 tsp of honey or maple syrup instead of 1 tbsp.
6. Cut back gradually rather than overnight – many people get used to less sweetness within a few weeks.

Example day with no added sugar

Here’s what a day without added sugar can look like:

• Breakfast: natural yoghurt instead of fruit yoghurt, with nuts, desiccated coconut and blueberries. The berries are sweet enough.
• Lunch: a low-carb broccoli bake with salmon – the sauce made from cream or oat cream and herbs instead of a ready-made sauce.
• Dinner: an omelette with mushrooms, tomatoes and spring onions, with gluten-free seeded bread and avocado.

Recipes with no added sugar: sweet and savoury dishes without added sugar

Frequently asked questions

What happens when you stop eating sugar?

Mostly, what’s on your plate changes: fewer sweet drinks, snacks and ready-made sauces, more room for filling food. Some studies suggest this may go along with fewer cravings, though that varies from person to person.

Do I have to avoid fruit sugar (fructose) too?

No. The WHO doesn’t count the sugar in whole fruit as free sugar – fruit comes with fibre. Fruit juice, honey and syrups are different: they count.

How long does sugar withdrawal last?

It varies a lot. Many people get used to less sweetness within a few weeks. It’s easier if you cut back step by step rather than overnight.

Are sweeteners a good alternative?

We don’t recommend them. The WHO advises against relying on non-sugar sweeteners. Its advice doesn’t cover people who already have diabetes – if that’s you, talk to your doctor.

Sources

1. WHO (2015). Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
2. WHO (2023). Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240073616