How much sugar do we consume?
How much sugar do you consume in a week?
Surprisingly, World Health Organisation research shows that Australians eat an average of 63kg of sugar a year! That’s more than a kilo a week.
According to NSW Health figures, most sugar we eat comes in processed foods. Less is put directly into home-prepared drinks and meals.
The findings have prompted the North Coast Area Health Service to suggest giving toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss as stocking stuffers to help combat the Christmas sweets assault.
Teeth for Health Project Manager John Irving said the annual festive season’s food binge inevitably sees an increase in sugar consumption.
“It’s in the cakes, sweets and drinks, of course, and even the savoury dishes. We’ll not only eat more sugar, but also have it more frequently,” he said.
“Frequency is as bad as quantity because the constant sugar levels stop saliva from doing its job — keeping the right pH levels in the mouth.”
“And speaking of drinks, all soft drinks, diet or otherwise, contain acid and an increasing problem amongst regular consumers of popular soft drinks is acid erosion of tooth enamel,” Mr Irving said.
“In some age groups this has led to alarming dental disease that is both debilitating and expensive to fix.”
Mr Irving says reading the ingredients on packaging is the best way to avoid excessive sugar.
“A Christmas present of a new toothbrush, a fresh tube of fluoride toothpaste and a pack of floss may be just enough to remind someone to clean their teeth during this critical time,” Mr Irving said.
“It may even give kids a kick-start to forming good oral hygiene habits – especially if parents enforce regular teeth cleaning.”
The health service says the best times to clean teeth are after breakfast and before bedtime.
