We all know sugar has taken a bit of a hit in the 'what's really bad for you stakes' recently but while you might now be educated in how much of the stuff is going into your juicing, your ready meals and your sweets, you might not have thought about how much you're consuming in the booze stakes. But how much sugar is there in bear and wine?
When it come to sugar, the NHS is convinced that we're eating too much. According to them 'Many foods that contain added sugars (and often have few other nutrients) are also high in energy, which is measured in either kilojoules (kJ) or calories (kcal). Eating these foods often can contribute to you becoming overweight... this can increase your risk of health conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.' And it's not just processed foods; juices are also a pest because when fruit is juiced, 'the sugars are released', so while you're fine to eat one orange, juicing ten of them and necking it down probably ain't a good idea.
When it comes to booze though, things get a little bit complicated. While a lot of spirits basically have zero sugar content, the mixers you're drinking them with are some of the worst offenders. And, while red and white wine don't register *too *high on the old sugar-o-meter, cider's nearly off the charts. Here's a handy guide so you can keep an eye on your sugar intake.
Oh and by the way - according to the NHS, your daily sugar intake should be around 50 grams, 70 if you're a boy.
How much sugar in gin?
Let's look at a gin and tonic for instance. Taking an average of the sugar content in 250ml in this tonic water, this tonic water and this tonic water added to the 0 grams in gin, a glass of gin and tonic contains roughly 18 grams of sugar - or four teaspoons.
36% of your daily sugar intake.
How much sugar in vodka?
We'll look at a vodka cranberry here. Again, vodka's sugar content is pretty much zilch. But taking an average of 250mls of this cranberry juice, this one and this one, you're looking at roughly 30 grams of sugar in each drink. That's 7.5 teaspoons.
60% of your daily sugar intake.
How much sugar is in rum?
Is rum and coke your tipple? Normal rum is again, minimal sugar but cola's a different story. Taking the average of 250ml of this cola, this cola and this one, you end up with a sugar intake of around 27.5 grams, or 7 teaspoons.
55% of your daily sugar intake.
How much sugar in a glass of wine?
Again, this is a bit of a weird one because it depends on how sweet your wine is (stay away from Mum's dessert wine kids). But according the USDA, there's 1.4 grams in 147 ml which means that for a small glass of wine (125ml) you're looking at around 1.25 grams a glass.
2.5% daily sugar intake.
How much sugar is in a glass of red wine?
The USDA claim there's just under 1 gram in a glass of small red wine (125ml) which means there's about a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar in your glass.
2% daily sugar intake.
How much sugar is there in a glass of prosecco?
Each glass is around 101ml, and for that FatSecret reckons there's about a gram of sugar. Well under a teaspoon. Keep on drinking.
2% daily sugar intake.
How much sugar is in a pint of beer?
Beer tends to be pretty low on the old sugar levels. Take a look at this brewery's nutritional stats - less than a gram for each drink.
<1% daily sugar intake.
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Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.