News
Money blog: How five million people are at risk of TV delay spoiling big Euro 2024 moments – and how to avoid it | UK News
Drop 80% sugar into your next popsicle… when it finally warms up
It can be difficult to balance the demands of eating well without spending a lot.
In this series, we try to find the healthiest options in the supermarket at the best value – and we enlist the help of Sunna Van Kampenfounder of Tonic Health, who went viral on social media for reviewing his diet in search of healthier choices.
In this series, we don’t try to find the healthiest option, but we help you get the best nutritional value for as little money as possible.
Today we’re looking at popsicles—so you’ll be ready for sunnier days to come (fingers crossed).
“While the temptation to eat a lollipop is strong, there is a healthier and equally satisfying option that you may be neglecting,” says Sunna.
Let’s start with the main brands and see how much sugar each one contains:
Del Monte Juice 100% 75ml – 15g sugar or almost (four teaspoons)
Calippo Orange Mini 80ml – 14g sugar (3.5 teaspoons)
Rowntree Fruit Lozenges 65ml – 11.5g sugar (almost three teaspoons)
Fabulous 58ml – 10g sugar (2.5 teaspoons)
Twister Mini 50ml – 8.6g sugar (just over two teaspoons)
Mini Milk 35ml – 4.1g sugar (one teaspoon)
Little Jude’s 35ml – 2.7g sugar (less than half a teaspoon)
A Note About Free Sugar
Free sugar is what we call any sugar added to a food or drink.
“You may be surprised to see 100% juice at the top of the list above, but fruit juice is still classified as a free sugar and acts in the body in the same way as an added sugar,” says Sunna.
What to consider
The size depends on the different amount of sugar per lollipop, but even if you had two Mini Milks or Little Jude’s, you would still be eating less sugar than if you had one of the others.
But there’s another important point here: “Portion control is important, and we often find that if it’s in front of us, we’ll have no problem eating it all, but you’d be surprised how little you need to achieve that sweet tooth. . desire,” says Sunna.
Switching from sugary lollipops like Calippo or even Del Monte 100% Juice to Mini Milk or Little Jude’s may seem small, but it’s a big step towards healthier habits.
“It’s a win-win: You can enjoy a refreshing treat while reducing your sugar intake,” says Sunna.
For context, if you swapped Del Monte for Little Jude’s, you would reduce its sugar content by 82%.
“An 80% drop in sugar per lollipop is huge, and to put that into perspective, you can cut more than three teaspoons of sugar for every one you have.
“Assuming you eat one lollipop a day for – hopefully – 30 days of sunshine this summer, you’ll save over 90 teaspoons of sugar in your diet.”
How much sugar can we eat?
The NHS daily recommendation for sugar intake is 30g per day for adults, 24g per day for children aged seven to 10 and 19g per day for children aged four to six.
“If these lollipops are for your child, consider that one Calippo will provide 73% of your four to six year old child’s daily sugar intake (or 58% if your child is over seven).”
With just one lollipop, you’re consuming a significant portion of your daily sugar allowance, so it’s worth considering your choices and choosing a healthier option.
The nutritionist’s view – from Nichola Ludlam-Raine, nutritionist at nicsnutrition.com…
“Although it is true that many popsicles are not good for your physical health, enjoying one or another from time to time is okay.
“The sugar in fruit juice is actually below the daily ‘free sugar’ limit, but fruit juice also provides essential nutrients, including vitamin C – an antioxidant essential for immune health.
“The advice, however, is to prioritize whole fruit whenever possible and not consume more than 150ml of fruit juice per day (less for children).
“That’s why I like to freeze leftover fruit smoothies (mixture of fruit and milk), which contain more fiber (and other nutrients), than simply fruit juice alone.
“Looking at nutrition labels can be great education and can help some people choose healthier options.
“However, the ingredient list for me is key when choosing more nutritious varieties – milk-based lollipops such as Mini Milk and Little Jude provide protein as well as calcium and iodine, but may not be suitable for children with allergies cow’s milk protein (CMPA) or lactose intolerance.
“In this situation, a homemade smoothie lollipop (using oat milk and fruit) or a fruit-based lollipop would be better – for example, the 100% juice lollipops or the smaller fruit lollipops from Pip Organic.”
Read more from this series…