Sugars are a type of carbohydrate found naturally in foods such as fruit, milk and honey. Refined sugar can be added to products during processing to improve the overall flavour. Although sugars can be an important source of energy, eating too much sugar can have harmful effects. High sugar foods have been associated with obesity and tooth decay and can displace more nutritious foods in the diet.
It is recommended to eat only moderate amounts of sugar, or foods containing sugar. As a guide, 15-20% of total energy in the diet should come from sugars. This equates to a daily intake of 90g. As sugar is a type of carbohydrate, this 90g is part of the 310g for total carbohydrates, not in addition to it.
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