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You expect chocolate Easter Eggs, cakes and biscuits to be packed with sugar, but what about bread, baked beans, breakfast bars and smoothies? It’s a bit of a shock to find that many of these and other "safe" foods often contain hidden sugars. And here’s how to spot these sugars in your everyday foods.
Packaged foods are loaded with sugar
Most added sugars in our diet come from regular (non-diet) soft drinks - about 33% of all added sugars consumed. Sweetened fruit drinks, sweets, cake and ready-to eat cereal account for another 24%. But prepared foods, like tomato ketchup, soups, canned fruits and vegetables and "low-fat" products (where sugar has been added to make up for the reduction of fat) account for more than a quarter of the added sugar in our diet.
Avoid added sugars
Some sugars occur in foods naturally, like the lactose found in milk and the fructose in fruit. These sugars don't concern nutritionists as much as others because the foods that contain them also contain nutrients our bodies need. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation. They also include any sugar you add to the food and drinks you make at home.
Read the label to find hidden sugars
To find the sugar hidden in your everyday foods, read the Nutrition Facts label and the ingredients list carefully. Under "carbohydrates," you should find the word "sugars." At this time, there's no differentiation between naturally-occurring sugars and added sugars on the label. Ingredients are listed by weight, from the most to the least. If one or more of the first few ingredients on the list are forms of sugar (see below), the item is likely to be high in total sugars.
Sugar by other names
When reading the ingredients list, in addition to "sugar," watch for these ingredients (they're alternate names for forms of added sugar): corn sweetener, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, cane juice, cane syrup and sucrose. Any ingredient ending in "ose" is likely to be a form of sugar.
Easy ways to reduce sugar in your diet
If you want to reduce the amount of hidden sugars in your diet, limit processed foods and control portion sizes of foods that have added sugars. Choose reduced-sugar syrups, jams and preserves.
Alison
Practice Manager
We recently reviewed the patient surveys that we did last year and we were very pleased with all the positive feedback. Patients fill in our survey forms anonymously so we don't know who said all these nice things about us. Here are some of comments that we received:
'I have been attending the practice for 40+ years and have always found it excellent.’
‘I am very pleased and confident in all the care I receive. Thank you.’
'I am pleased that I attend this dental practice where I am treated efficiently and courteously and know that I will receive the best treatment for my needs.’
‘I have recommended others to this dental practice.’
‘As you will see from the above I think the practice generally and Miss Noon in particular, are excellent.’
‘The care and attention of all staff at Longborough is fantastic.’
‘It is well worth travelling the distance I do for the treatment I receive here at Longborough.’
'Teresa is a real asset to this practice and always treats me like I am her only priority, great customer service.’
‘Excellent dental practice. Best I’ve been to.’
‘I have every confidence with Dr Noon and her staff; her approach is professional yet personable and my children are happy to attend for regular examinations without fear or apprehension. The dental hygienist is also to be highly commended. The reception team offer service with a smile and are efficient, courteous and customer focussed.’
A big thank you from everyone at the practice and we will try to keep up all the good work.
Alison
Practice Manager
1 WHITENING IS SAFE
If carried out by a trained dental professional, whitening is perfectly safe. Based on their knowledge of your oral health your dentist will discuss with you the options available, decide if tooth whitening is appropriate for you and develop an overall treatment plant that gives the desired effect.
2 ONLY A TRAINED DENTAL PROFESSIONAL CAN WHITEN TEETH
It is illegal for anyone other than dentists or their teams to carry out teeth whitening. Anyone else offering teeth whitening won’t have the right training and knowledge, could permanently damage your teeth and gums and can’t help you when something goes wrong.
3 THE PREFERRED OPTION
Whitening won’t remove the surface of your teeth or change their shape. It’s often a better option than alternatives, such as veneers, because it doesn’t involve permanently altering the tooth’s structure and is easy to look after.
4 SELECTING THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR YOU
Your dentist is trained to know what whitening products will be safe for your teeth and gums. Products provided by non-dentists often do not have enough safety data and evidence to support their use; this can result in burned gums and/or blistered lips or even more serious consequences. Using products that are not appropriate for you will produce poor results.
5 HOW IT WORKS
A carefully controlled concentration of bleach is applied to your teeth using bespoke trays that fit in your mouth. Your dentist will be able to discuss with you the level of whitening you want to achieve and give you an idea of how many treatments you may need to achieve the shade you’re after.
6 WHAT TO EXPECT
You may experience some sensitivity for a short time during your treatment but this is normal and will soon fade away. We can supply you with products that can ease this sensitivity.
7 OVER THE COUNTER KITS MAY NOT BE SAFE
The products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this they should not be considered safe. These products won’t produce the same good results you can expect by visiting your dentist.
ASK YOUR DENTIST ABOUT WHITENING
The British Dental Association has just released this information on Teeth Whitening
Alison
Practice Manager
