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Basic questions - how sugary are non-sugary drinks / food

P

Pierrot

Newbie
Hi - new to this site tho' type 2 for several years now.

Basic question - how sugary are sugary drinks?
Or more usefully, how sugary are un-sugary drinks, percent, per 100g?

And the same for eg yoghurts - eg my newly discovered favourite is 8.1% sugars.
Is that good / bad / ok?

Clearly depends on whether I eat 1 such yoghurt a day or 10, and maybe the question doesn't even make sense. But I am interested that diet sheets even in Practical Diabetes don't seem to define their terms.

Many thanks. P
 
Hi and welcome.

Blanket over simplification.

Sugary drinks are bad period.. sugary drinks without sugar may still cause an insulin response so could still be bad for you.
8.1% sugars is also not great in a yoghurt but you need to start looking at the complete carbohydrate content rather than just the "sugar" portion.

If you test your blood sugars before and 2 hours after eating you will be able to see what various foods do to you.
To some extent we are all individual so what causes a spike in me may not in you (although to be honest I don't think most of us are all that different).
 
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Pierrot said:
Basic question - how sugary are sugary drinks?
Or more usefully, how sugary are un-sugary drinks, percent, per 100g?
Click to expand...
Turn the bottle or can around and read the back. It will tell you how many grams of carbohydrates are in it per 100 ml and you'll have a clear answer for any drink you fancy.
 
A simple rule of thumb. Read the label and look at total carbohydrates per 100g or 100ml. If over 5g regard it as a high sugar product and decide whether or not you want to consume it.
 
As other say ignore the sugar amounts and look at the carb amounts on the label. This will tell you how “sugary” things are once they are inside your body. The “sugar” might come from more disguised sources in carbohydrates, even things that don’t look or seem sweet, but it’s still there.

Under 5% go for it. Under 10% maybe if it’s not a huge amount. Over 10% unless it’s a very small amount think very carefully.
 
All very helpful replies - many thanks.
I've clearly been focussing too much on the 'of which sugars' percent, and allowing myself too high a figure on that alone - !
Thanks again.
P
 
Pierrot said:
All very helpful replies - many thanks.
I've clearly been focussing too much on the 'of which sugars' percent, and allowing myself too high a figure on that alone - !
Thanks again.
P
Click to expand...
It's not your fault. We have to suffer the silly advice from Public Health England who always mention sugar and not carbs. Also EU Traffic Light package labelling mentions sugars and not carbs. Few know that sugar is just another carb.
 
Pierrot said:
All very helpful replies - many thanks.
I've clearly been focussing too much on the 'of which sugars' percent, and allowing myself too high a figure on that alone - !
Thanks again.
P
Click to expand...
I like Robinson's "no added sugar" squash but you still have to read the label as the flavours vary. Note the carbs per 100ml for squash may be quoted before dilution.
 
HSSS said:
As other say ignore the sugar amounts and look at the carb amounts on the label. This will tell you how “sugary” things are once they are inside your body. The “sugar” might come from more disguised sources in carbohydrates, even things that don’t look or seem sweet, but it’s still there.

Under 5% go for it. Under 10% maybe if it’s not a huge amount. Over 10% unless it’s a very small amount think very carefully.
Click to expand...
This is great advice i always look at sugar content and never carbs. Thank you as i am really struggling just now can't get my sweet tooth for Chocolate under control at all
 
Try Choco Logic Belgian style dark chocolate - tastes like lower cocoa content chocolate, but 1/6 of a pack is 2.5g Carbs, 0.4g sugars and 1.2g of which are polyols.
 
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