‘Natural’ is not enough information to choose a food. Look at the food itself, the portion and the label.
| Food | What to know | A useful check |
|---|---|---|
| Whole apple | Naturally occurring sugars | Consider the whole food. |
| Plain milk | Naturally occurring milk sugar | Total sugar need not mean added sugar. |
| Honey or syrup | Contributes added / free sugars | Check the portion you use. |
| Unsweetened juice | Contains free sugars | ‘No added sugar’ is not sugar-free. |
01
Start with three useful terms
Total sugars includes both sugars already present in a food and sugars added to it. Added sugars includes sugar used in preparation or manufacturing, as well as sweeteners such as table sugar, honey and syrups. “Processed sugar” is everyday language; it is not the standard heading on a nutrition label.
- For a packaged food, look for total sugars and, where available, added sugars.
- Do not add those two numbers together: added sugars is part of the total.
02
Whole fruit and milk are a different starting point
The NHS distinguishes sugars naturally present in whole fruit, vegetables and milk from free sugars. It does not advise cutting out these foods to reduce sugar. A total-sugar number alone cannot tell you which kind of food you are looking at.
- Compare similar foods rather than treating every gram of sugar as the same shopping decision.
- For example, compare two yogurts using equal portions, then check the ingredients.
03
Honey and juice: natural does not mean exempt
Honey and maple or agave syrup may sound different from table sugar, but they still contribute free sugars. The NHS also includes sugars in unsweetened juice and smoothies in this category. Free sugars and the US label term added sugars are related, but not identical.
- A juice can have no added sugar and still contain free sugars.
- Swapping sugar for honey does not remove sugar from your recipe.
04
Try a two-minute label comparison
Pick two versions of something you buy regularly. First match the serving sizes. Then read the sugar figures and ingredient lists. In our invented yogurt example, 12 g total sugars including 5 g added sugars means 12 g overall—not 17 g. Those figures illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a claim about a particular product.
- Check the amount you actually plan to eat, not only the default serving.
- On labels without an added-sugars figure, ingredients can identify sweeteners but do not give their exact grams.
05
Use your diary to notice, not judge
Start with a familiar breakfast or snack and record the portion. Review what you learned before deciding on a swap. In Sweet Off, “Processed” and “Natural” are estimated categories; the app cannot establish an exact recipe from a photo. Check packaging and correct estimates when needed.
- Keep foods you enjoy in the picture. One manageable change is a useful place to start.
- Treat the sample app screens as demonstrations, not intake targets or promised results.
Sources & further reading
General educational information; not a medically reviewed treatment plan. Our editorial approach.