DAVID'S FOUR 'HEALTHY' FOOD NO-NOS
1. Breakfast cereals
Almost all are a dietary minefield. Anything advertised as frosted or with honey, clusters or berries should be avoided as most have more than 30 per cent sugar.
Even healthy-sounding ones, such as muesli with nuts and berries, have a higher content than chocolate corn flakes. Instead, fuel up on low-sugar, wheat-based cereals (0.7 to 4.4 per cent) and unadulterated porridge oats (around 1 per cent).
It’s also worth noting that supermarket-own brands often contain less sugar than more commercial versions.
2. Yoghurt.
Unsweetened yogurt, which tastes sour as yogurt should, is absolutely fine. But anything tasting remotely sweet has added sugar – usually lots of it. “Flavoured with concentrated fruit juice” just means there’s fructose in the mix, so the sugar content will be even higher. Some fruit yoghurts are 15 per cent sugar, so an average 125g pot would give you 19g of sugar – nearly five teaspoons. Again, avoid all low-fat yoghurts – they are very high in sugar.
3. Cereal and fruit snack bars
They seem like a healthy alternative to biscuits, but their high dried-fruit content makes them a nightmare if you’re fighting cravings. In fact, some bars contain more sugar than a bar of milk chocolate (about 57 per cent).
4. Fruit juice
It’s a big myth that fruit juices are healthy. In fact, it’s fair to say they have no redeeming qualities, as you’re just extracting the water and sugar from the fruit and throwing away the healthy fibre.
The end product is biochemically identical to a soft drink, with around 10 per cent sugar. “People ask, ‘What about the vitamin C?’” says David. “But we already have huge stores of that in our bodies from ordinary food – even ‘unhealthy’ food like a portion of chips contains plenty of vitamin C.”
PICK WISELY: Cereals with frosting, honey or clusters can be more than 30 per cent sugar [GETTY ]
SUPERMARKET SWEEP
There will now be whole aisles you can avoid – cereals, cakes, biscuits, sauces, soft drinks – usually in the centre of the supermarket. A good rule of thumb is to ditch any food with more than 3g per 100g of sugar.
So what are the best low-sugar buys – and what should you resist? Here are the angels and devils you'll encounter during the weekly shop.
Fruit and veg
Halo: There’s no such thing as an unhealthy vegetable: even the sweetest (beetroot) has the same fructose content as a kiwi fruit, one of the lowest-sugar fruits.
Fruit contains fructose of course but it’s fine to eat one or two pieces a day because the fibre in it mitigates the damaging effect of the sugar.
Opt for fruits lowest in sugar and highest in fibre, such as cranberries, raspberries, gooseberries, peaches, pears and blueberries. But low-sugar, high-fibre avocado is the biggest hero here.
Horns: Avoid melons, grapes, pineapples and sweet-tasting apples – all high-fructose fruits that are low in fibre. Bananas and oranges fall somewhere in the middle.
Milk and dairy
Halo: Milk contains 4.7 per cent natural sugars (lactose) but the body processes this differently from sucrose and fructose so it’s fine. Go for Greek yogurt, which together with butter, margarine, cheese and cream contains no sugar.
Horns: Give milk powders or shakes the slip. Also avoid soya milk, which has cane sugar to replace the lactose.
Bread and spreads
Halo: All bread – except sourdough – contains some sugar but not too much: 0.5 to 4 per cent. Wholemeal is a better bet because of its fibre.
The lowest-sugar supermarket bread is 0.8g per 100g. Choose cream cheese, peanut butter (organic is better at 2-3 per cent sugar), butter or yeast spread.
Horns: Banish bagels, which have twice the sugar of bread (6.5g per 100g), and fruit loaf, which has four to seven teaspoons of sugar in a 90-100g serving.
Seedy loaves can sometimes be a bit higher, as can pitta bread (2.5g per pitta).
Avoid jam, honey and chocolate spread (all 50-83 per cent sugar) as well as sandwich spread (21 per cent), low-sugar jam (still 30-45 per cent) and low-fat peanut butter (15.2 per cent).
Condiments and dressings
Halo: Try making your own homemade salad dressing with oil and white-wine vinegar (not balsamic which is 12-15 per cent sugar) or lemon.
Soy sauce is fine, as is full-fat mayonnaise (1-4 per cent) and mustard (1-9 per cent).
Horns: Almost everything: particularly barbecue sauce (about 30 per cent). Avoid sweet chilli dressings (30-49 per cent). Fruit chutneys and relishes are also high in sugar (23-40 per cent).
Pizza and ready meals
Halo: Some ready meals are low in sugar, others are sky high, so read labels carefully. Pizzas are similarly variable.
Horns: Avoid anything with sweet and sour, balsamic or sweet chilli in the title. Ham and pineapple pizzas or caramelised red onion/goat’s cheese pizzas tend to be highest in sugar, with up to 7.3g per 100g.
Drinks
Halo: Milk, fizzy or still water, diet soft drinks. Gin and vodka are some of the lowest-sugar alcohols, and dry wine is OK too (red is 0.6 per cent sugar, white is 1 per cent).
Horns: All sugary soft drinks, including tonic water (5.1g per 100ml) and fruit juice (apple juice is the highest with 6.5 teaspoons in a 250ml glass). Flavoured waters are lower but still sugary. Avoid cider, dessert wines and liqueurs, and watch your mixers.
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