Hidden Sugars
Posted by: Jodie Blades Diploma Level 3 in Dental Nursing
Medically reviewed by: Dr Anthony Lam BDS (Hons), MSc (Lond), MOrth RCS (Edin)
”We’ve known for a while that the single biggest cause for children being admitted to hospital is to have rotten teeth removed. It’s a major cause of health inequality.
It’s a minefield trying to balance sugar intake, 5 a day and dental health – without the headache of hidden sugars
Looking out for hidden sugars
Pay attention! Most kid’s snacks have an adults RDA % (recommended daily allowance %). We’ve collected the real percentages for each age groups’ recommendations so you can be careful with your serving sizes. Most fruit will have some degree of hidden sugars and the more blended, dried and broken down the fruit – the quicker the sugar can get to work on destroying your enamel, so be mindful of daily smoothies and fruit juices.
| Product | Sugar g | % RDA 19g Age 4-6 | % RDA 24g Age 7-10 | % RDA 30g Age 11+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks & Sweets | ||||
| Bear Yoyos 1 roll | 4 | 21 | 17 | 13 |
| Blueberry Mini Muffin 1 muffin | 9 | 49 | 39 | 31 |
| Soreen Lunch Loaf 1 loaf | 5 | 27 | 21 | 17 |
| Kellogs Fruit Winders 1 roll | 6 | 33 | 26 | 21 |
| Sunny Raisins 42.5g | 30 | 155 | 123 | 98 |
| Freddo 18g | 10 | 53 | 42 | 33 |
| Milky Way Fun Size 21.5g | 13 | 70 | 55 | 44 |
| Magic Stars 33g | 17 | 89 | 71 | 57 |
| Milky Bar Buttons 30g | 18 | 94 | 74 | 59 |
| Dairy Milk Buttons 30g | 17 | 88 | 70 | 56 |
| Dried banana chips 125g (unsweetened) | 19 | 100 | 79 | 63 |
| Rowntree’s Randoms 1 serving (6 sweets) | 14 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Haribo Starmix 1 serving (7 sweets) | 12 | 62 | 49 | 39 |
| Ella’s Kitchen Squished Smoothie Fruits 1 carton (90g) | 14 | 72 | 57 | 45 |
| Cereals | ||||
| Jordans Chunky Nuts 30g | 7 | 35 | 28 | 22 |
| Curiously Cinnamon 30g | 7 | 38 | 30 | 24 |
| Honey Monster Puffs 30g | 9 | 47 | 38 | 30 |
| Golden Nuggets 30g | 8 | 41 | 33 | 26 |
| Shreddies 30g | 4 | 21 | 16 | 13 |
| Coco Pops 30g | 5 | 26 | 21 | 17 |
| Cheerios 30g | 5 | 28 | 22 | 18 |
| Drinks | ||||
| innocent Kids Apple Juice 1 carton (180ml) | 16 | 84 | 67 | 53 |
| Tropicana Orange Juice (150ml) | 13 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| innocent Kids smoothie Strawberry, Apple & Beetroot 1 carton (180ml) | 16 | 84 | 67 | 53 |
| The Collective Kids Yoghurt Suckies 1 carton (Strawberry 100g) | 8 | 39 | 31 | 25 |
| Capri Sun Orange (200ml) | 10 | 52 | 41 | 33 |
Reduce sugar intake
By reducing the number of times your teeth are ‘attacked’ by the sugar acids in foods, you can significantly reduce your risk of dental decay. Equally, limiting the number of foods that you know contain sugar will help to combat the damage caused by hidden sugars.
Low Sugar Snacks
- Cheese
- Dairylea triangles
- Pitta bread
- Hummus
- Cucumber
- Natural nut-butters
- Watermelon
- Popcorn (not the kind covered in sugar & toffee)
- Avocado
- Broccoli
Oral hygiene habits to combat hidden sugars
- Brush for a minimum of 2 minutes twice a day
- Visit your dentist regularly
- Visit the hygienist
- Use a fluoride toothpaste
- Stay hydrated
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