Feeling confused by the nutrition facts on packaged foods? You're not alone. The wall of numbers can be daunting, but understanding three key ingredients—total sugar, added sugar, and sodium—is the first step to making healthier choices for you and your
family.
Total Sugar vs. Added Sugar: The Key Difference
When you look at a nutrition label in India, you'll see a line for 'Total Sugar'. This number includes all types of sugar in the product. It combines the naturally occurring sugars, like lactose in milk or fructose in fruit, with any sugars that have been added during processing. Below that, you will often find 'Added Sugar' listed separately. This is the number to watch closely. Added sugars are any sugars or syrups put into food to make it sweeter, such as white sugar, jaggery, honey, or high-fructose corn syrup. Think of it this way: the sugar in a plain glass of milk is natural and part of its 'total sugar'. The sugar in chocolate milk powder, however, is 'added sugar'. This distinction is crucial because added sugars provide calories but often no other nutritional value.
Why You Should Focus on Added Sugar
Health experts are most concerned about added sugars because they are a major contributor to a variety of health problems. A diet high in added sugars can make it difficult to manage your weight and can increase your risk of developing chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease. When you consume too much, your body can become resistant to insulin, the hormone that manages blood sugar, which is a major risk factor for serious health issues. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued guidelines advising people to limit their intake of added sugar. Foods with high added sugar often displace more nutritious options, meaning you get 'empty calories' without the benefits of fibre, vitamins, and minerals found in whole foods.
The Salty Truth: Understanding Sodium
Next to sugar, sodium is the other 'white crystal' to watch. While our bodies need a small amount of sodium to function, most people consume far more than is necessary, largely from processed and packaged foods. Excessive sodium intake is strongly linked to high blood pressure (hypertension), which puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. Over time, this can significantly increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney problems. Recent research also suggests a link between high salt consumption and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, possibly because salty foods may encourage eating larger portions. In India, a lot of hidden salt comes from ready-to-eat meals, sauces, pickles, chips, and even bread and biscuits.
Your Daily Targets: The Numbers to Know
To make informed decisions, it helps to know the recommended daily limits. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the ICMR suggest limiting added sugars to less than 10% of your total daily calories, with further benefits seen by reducing it to 5%. For an adult consuming a 2,000-calorie diet, the ICMR recommends a limit of 25 grams of added sugar per day—that's about 6 teaspoons. For sodium, the advice is to consume less than 2,000 mg per day, which is equivalent to about 5 grams of salt (one teaspoon). Keeping these numbers in mind when you check labels can give you a clear benchmark for what is a little and what is a lot.
How to Be a Smarter Shopper
Reading labels gets easier with practice. In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates that nutritional information, including sugar and sodium, be displayed on packaged foods. Soon, you may also see simple, front-of-pack warning labels, like a red hexagon, to quickly identify products high in sugar, salt, or fat. Until then, get into the habit of checking the panel on the back. Look for the 'per 100g' column to easily compare different products. Pay attention to the ingredients list, where added sugars can hide under names like 'fructose', 'glucose syrup', 'sucrose', or 'invert syrup'. By prioritising foods with lower added sugar and sodium, you take an active role in safeguarding your long-term health.
