- Adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. One can of regular cola is more than that.
- Free sugars are added sugars plus honey, syrups and fruit juice. Whole fruit and plain milk do not count.
- Drinks, cereals, flavoured yoghurts, sauces and snacks are where most free sugar hides.
- During sessions over an hour, sugar is fuel. At your desk, it is just extra calories.
- Cut back gradually. Your taste for sweetness adapts within a few weeks.
What counts as sugar
Not all sugar is treated the same way in UK guidance. The limit applies to free sugars. These are sugars added to food and drink by manufacturers, cooks or you, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, unsweetened fruit juice, smoothies and fruit purées.
Sugars found naturally inside whole fruit and vegetables, and the lactose in plain milk and yoghurt, are not free sugars. They come packaged with fibre, water, protein or other nutrients, they tend to be eaten in smaller amounts, and they are not linked with the same health problems.
This is why an apple and a glass of apple juice are not equal. Juicing breaks down the fruit's structure and releases the sugar, so it counts as free sugar, and it is much easier to drink the sugar of four apples than to eat four apples.
The UK limits
Following advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, free sugars should make up no more than 5% of daily energy. In practice, the NHS sets these daily maximums:
- Adults and children from 11 years: no more than 30 g a day
- Children aged 7 to 10: no more than 24 g a day
- Children aged 4 to 6: no more than 19 g a day
- Children under 4: the NHS advises avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks and food with added sugar
Thirty grams disappears quickly. A 330 ml can of regular cola contains around 35 g. A flavoured coffee shop drink, a bowl of frosted cereal or a 'healthy' granola with a fruit yoghurt can each use up a large part of the day's allowance before lunch.
Most people in the UK eat more than the recommended amount, and the biggest single source for many adults is sugary drinks. That makes drinks the obvious first place to look. Our guide to calories in drinks covers the numbers.
Why too much is a problem
Sugar itself is not toxic, but there are good reasons for the limit. Foods and drinks high in free sugars are usually high in calories and low in anything that fills you up, which makes it easy to eat more than you need and gain weight over time. Excess body weight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and several cancers.
Sugar is also the main cause of tooth decay, and frequency matters as much as quantity. Sipping a sugary drink over an hour exposes your teeth to sugar for longer than having it with a meal. The NHS advises keeping sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes where possible.
If you are trying to lose fat, cutting free sugar is often one of the easiest ways to create a calorie deficit, because the foods involved rarely keep you full anyway.
Sugar also tends to arrive in foods that crowd out better options. A sugary cereal instead of porridge with fruit, or a fizzy drink instead of water with a meal, means less fibre, protein and micronutrients across the day, even before the calories are counted.
Where free sugar hides
Obvious sources like sweets, biscuits and cakes are easy to spot. These are the ones people often miss:
- Drinks: regular soft drinks, energy drinks, flavoured waters, fruit juice, smoothies and syrups in coffee
- Breakfast: many cereals, granola, cereal bars and flavoured instant porridge
- Yoghurts and desserts: flavoured and fruit yoghurts, including some sold as healthy
- Sauces: ketchup, barbecue sauce, sweet chilli, some jarred pasta and curry sauces
- Ready meals and bread: smaller amounts, but they add up
- Alcohol: mixers, ciders, alcopops and cocktails
On an ingredients list, sugar can appear under many names: sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, invert sugar syrup, honey, agave, molasses and fruit juice concentrate. If several of these appear, the total can be high even if none is first on the list. Our guide to reading UK food labels shows how to check.
When sugar is useful
Context matters. During sessions lasting more than about an hour, and in races like HYROX, sugar is exactly the fuel your muscles want. Sports drinks, gels and jelly sweets are designed to deliver it quickly, and 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour can help you hold your pace late in a long effort.
After a very hard session, a sweet recovery option such as chocolate milk or a banana with honey on toast is perfectly reasonable, especially if you train again soon. Our guide to carbohydrates for performance explains how much fuel different sessions need.
The problem is not sugar in these moments. It is the sugar consumed through the day while sitting still, usually in drinks and snacks.
Sweeteners and cutting back
Sweeteners approved for use in the UK, such as sucralose, aspartame and stevia, have passed safety assessments and are considered safe within acceptable daily intakes. Swapping a daily sugary drink for a diet version is an easy way to cut sugar and calories. The World Health Organization has suggested that sweeteners should not be relied on for long-term weight control, so treat them as a stepping stone rather than a solution.
Your taste for sweetness adapts. If you take two sugars in tea, drop to one and a half for a fortnight, then one. Mix sweetened and plain yoghurt, then shift the balance. Most people find that after a few weeks, their old drinks and snacks taste too sweet.
If you want support changing your eating habits alongside training, nutrition and accountability coaching is part of what Lycan Strength offers, and the 7-day free trial is an easy way to see if the gym suits you.
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Questions
Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?
No. Sugar inside whole fruit does not count towards the free sugar limit, and fruit brings fibre, vitamins and water. Fruit juice and smoothies are different, so the NHS suggests limiting them to 150 ml a day combined.
How many grams of sugar should I have a day?
Adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. Sugar in whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk is not included in that figure.
Is honey healthier than sugar?
Not in any meaningful way. Honey counts as a free sugar, just like table sugar and syrups.
Does sugar cause diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is mainly linked with excess body weight and inactivity. Diets high in sugary drinks are associated with higher risk, largely through weight gain.
General guidance for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, injury or are pregnant, check with a health professional before changing your training or diet.
