We'd like to thank the following registered dietitians and nutritionists for their support of Sugar Awareness Week 2023:

Amanda Ursell, Registered Nutritionist

"What shocks me, is the way in which sugar intakes can soar past those recommended through a simple, regular  trip to a coffee shop; when grabbing a drink and snack on the run, or when sitting down for a lunch or dinner in restaurant.  A speciality coffee and a pain au chocolat? Bang, that can be double your days sugar 'allowance' gone in one fail swoop. A hot chocolate and a biscuit for a child? Just the hot chocolate will exceed their maximum before you add the biscuit, let alone any other treats for the day. 

Being aware of just how much free sugar is crammed into the foods and drinks that have become regular parts of modern day to day lives is vital, if we are to help ourselves, and the younger generations keep free sugars to within sensible intakes.  The obvious sources like sweets, and sugary drinks are just the tip of the iceberg. We also need to include the free sugars present in bumper size portions of cakes and biscuits, muffins and flapjacks, ice creams, puddings.  Becoming sugar aware is not only vital for the health of our teeth, but our overall health, and the health of the planet. Overly-processed, overly packaged, sweet 'treats', should return to what they once were for previous generations - occasional treats, not an expected part of everyday life.  

This may sound old fashioned, and impossible in today's food environment; but it can be done. It takes resolve, planning and commitment to dodge the ever-present opportunities to indulge when out and about, but you will be surprised how quickly you and those around you adapt. Keeping sugar-rich foods as a treat makes them more special, and more enjoyable when you do include them!"

 https://www.amandaursell.com IG: @amandaursellnutrition X: @AmandaUrsell 

 

Azmina Govindji, Registered Dietitian

"A quick snack on the go, lunch at your desk, or dinner out with friends – all these occasions involve consuming food outside the home, which can significantly contribute to our sugar intake. However, it's easy to overlook just how much hidden sugar we might be unintentionally consuming. Once again, I commend Action on Sugar for shedding light on this crucial but frequently neglected issue."

https://azminanutrition.com/ IG: @azminanutrition  X: @AzminaNutrtion Linkedin: AzminaGovindji

Charlotte Radcliffe, Registered Nutritionist

"Despite ongoing efforts to address the health issues associated with high sugar intake, the overall consumption remains high. Sugar awareness week serves as an important platform to continue these discussions and emphasise the need for action. Policy makers have a crucial role to play, and the food industry can help by providing choice and information, as well as reformulating high sugar recipes. Having worked in the food industry myself for over 20 years, I understand the challenges involved in reducing sugar content without compromising taste and quality, however by adopting a strategic approach and demonstrating a commitment to health, significant strides towards positive change can be made." 

 https://thenutritionconsultant.org.uk IG: @the_nutrition_consultant X: @Nutr_Consultant  

 

Charlotte Stirling-Reed, Registered Nutritionist

"I work with parents to try and banish the myths out there about sugar – as well as helping them understand the guideline daily amounts for children. There is a lot of misinformation in the public domain regarding sugar being ‘addictive’, ‘toxic’ or a root cause of certain behaviours in children. Whilst it’s important to underline there is no scientific evidence to support these kinds of claims – and thus to dispel any associated scaremongering or parental guilt – it’s equally important we drive home those messages we know to be true. Too much free sugar can cause tooth decay, provides little by way of nutrition and the fact is that children can get all the nutrients and energy they need from alternative nutrient-dense food. Part of my role is to provide recipes and meal suggestions to help parents select those nutrient-dense foods to feed themselves and their little ones."

https://www.srnutrition.co.uk IG: @sr_nutrition X: @SR_Nutrition 

 

Fareeha Jay, Registered Dietitian

"I am proud to support Sugar Awareness Week 2023, and this year, the emphasis is on reducing sugar and calories in the out-of-home (OOH) sector. To improve people's health in the UK, we must drastically reduce the number of free sugars in our diets. Too much sugar might be consumed without one even noticing it, leading to poor health and tooth decay.  

The government needs to be reminded to take action to make it simpler for people to eat less sugar, but we also want to urge the OOH sector to reduce the levels of sugar in their products. There are different ways to approach the reduction of sugar. Changes such as displaying nutritional and calorie labelling on menus and items can be made, but also shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products through price promotions on healthier options. Reducing the portion sizes and increasing the proportion of fruit and vegetables available or used within cooking. Modifying the ingredients used in cooking, such as using less oil, salt, and sugar."

https://www.fareehajay.com/ IG: @dietitian_fareehajay  X: @FareehaJay

 

Gopi Chandratheva, Registered Nutritionist

Read Gopi's guest blog

"Sugar is often demonised however it’s how much and how often we consume sugars that can have a negative impact on our health. Whilst we should not exclude it from our diet, we should be mindful of how much we are having and focus on reducing the free sugars. Sugar also does not have much nutritive value increasing our energy consumption leading to weight gain and other health problems. Sugar is also added to many everyday hidden foods; an example of this is cereals. A high sugar consumption has sparked a response to implement the sugar levy on drinks and the sugar reduction programme to reduce obesity and to help prevent some of the non-communicable diseases. According to SACN, free sugars should account for no more than 5% of our dietary energy intake. Sugar is sugar and we should be overall looking at ways we can reduce our consumption and I support action on sugar campaign to drive the conversation on reducing our sugar intake."

www.gopisnourishingrecipes.com IG: gopis_nourishingrecipes

 

Nichola Ludlam-Raine, Registered Dietitian

"Working in bariatrics as a weight management dietitian I see day to day the value of reducing free sugar consumption, in addition to the value of food companies reducing added sugars within products. We need to be focussing on what people should be eating more of too, such as fibre and plants (more colour!), in order to naturally decrease our reliance on sugary foods and drinks. My motto though is always moderation not deprivation - in order to prevent a binge restrict cycle."

https://nicsnutrition.com/ IG: @nicsnutrition IG: thenutritribe

 

Priya Tew, Registered Dietitian

"Eating out is something we all do, whether that's a snack whilst travelling or a special meal out. This can be totally normal and fine to do. Most of the population needs to be on a journey to reduce their sugar consumption and with some people regularly eating out in some format several times a week it makes it important that the food and hospitality industry are offering options suitable for everyday life. I think it is vital that there are options that are lower in sugar, have sensible portion sizes and include plenty plant foods, making them more nutritious and better for our health. Having said that it can also be wonderful to enjoy that indulgence now and again. I do not believe that we need to cut all the delicious foods out of our diets but instead find ways to make meals and snacks more nutritious and balanced. This could mean using less sugar in a flapjack and adding fruit instead or using less condiments in meals" 

www.dietitianuk.co.uk IG: priya_tew X: @PriyaTew

 

Rhiannon Lambert, Registered Nutritionist

"Sugar reduction is of the utmost importance, a lot of us are not aware of the sugar content in our food partly down to confusing marketing and a lack of nutritional support. As a mother and a health professional I strongly believe in working towards a reduction in free sugars across the board, the future generations need to be aware of the impact their-diet can have on their health."

https://www.rhitrition.com/ IG: rhitrition X:Rhitrition

 

Sophie Bertrand, Registered Nutritionist

"As a Registered Nutritionist and Mum of 2 small children, I am passionate about educating families when it comes to added sugars in the diet. Small children do not need sugar in their diet as it provides no nutritional value and it is worrying to see so many options available out of the home that are targeted towards kids. Sugar can of course be consumed in moderate amounts and sit as part of a wellness balanced diet but when consumed in excess can have detrimental effects on the body. Action on sugar are running important campaigns to help raise Awareness on this topic and its important for families to feel educated when it comes to their families health." 

https://sophiebertrand.com/ IG: @Sophiebertrand X: @sophiebertrand Linkedin: SophieBertrand

 

Zoe Griffiths, Registered Nutritionist

"I am proud to be supporting Sugar Awareness Week again this year. As a Registered Nutritionist, I know the importance of reducing the amount of sugar we eat in our diets but it is not always easy to know how much sugar we are eating when we eat out. I support this year's theme of focusing on the importance of reducing sugar and calories in the out of home (OOH) sector and what can be done to help achieve this so that everyone can eat a healthier diet even when eating out of the home."

 https://zgnutrition.co.uk/  IG: @zg_nutrition X: @ZG_Nutrition