• We wouldn’t let our kids eat sugar straight from the sugar bowl. But we tend not to think about the sugar lurking hiding in the other things they eat and drink.​

• The problem is that excess sugar can mean excess energy which in turn can lead to stored fat in the body and diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.​

• Eating too much sugar can also cause tooth decay, so be sure to clean your teeth twice a day and check your kids are doing the same.​

• Try to swap food and drink with added sugar for stuff that has no added sugar or is sugar free.

Watch the sugar!

You’d be amazed at how much sugar is lurking in our food - even food that doesn’t taste sweet. It can do more harm than most people realise. Here are a few facts about sugar and where it’s hiding:

• The average person in Britain consumes about 700g of sugar a week* - that’s 140 teaspoons!​

• 500ml of cola contains the equivalent of 17 cubes of sugar.​

• There are lots of different words used to describe sugar - sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch, invert sugar, corn syrup, honey – they are all different kinds of sugars. Watch out for them on the label.