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Sugar is not just in mithai. Between sweetened chai, biscuits, flavoured yoghurt, cold drinks and "healthy" cereals, many people take in far more added sugar than they realise. The WHO limit is easy to state. Staying under it takes a little awareness.
This is general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you have diabetes, your doctor's plan for sugar and carbohydrate takes priority over general limits. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take regular medicines, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
The WHO recommends keeping added (free) sugar to under 10% of total energy, and says that under 5% gives extra benefit. ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines also advise keeping added sugar low. On a 2,000 kcal diet, that works out as:
A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g and 16 kcal. "Added sugar" means sugar, jaggery, honey, syrups and the sugar in sweetened products. It does not include the natural sugar inside whole fruit or plain milk.
| Item | Added sugar |
|---|---|
| Cup of milk tea with 2 teaspoons sugar | ~8 g |
| Three cups of sweet chai a day | ~24 g |
| Cold drink, 300 ml | ~30–33 g |
| Packaged fruit juice, 200 ml | ~20–24 g |
| Sweetened flavoured yoghurt, 100 g | ~10–15 g |
| Two cream biscuits | ~6–8 g |
| One gulab jamun or jalebi | ~15–25 g |
| Breakfast cereal, 30 g serving (sweetened) | ~8–12 g |
| Ketchup, 1 tablespoon | ~4 g |
Rounded estimates. Real products vary, so read the "added sugars" line on the pack where it is listed. A single cold drink can use up your whole day's allowance.
Notice that three cups of sweet chai alone can take you close to the 5% limit before you have eaten anything sweet. The sugar you stir in yourself is usually the largest single source.
Slightly, in the sense that jaggery has traces of minerals, but the body treats them largely like sugar. They raise blood sugar and add calories in the same way, and they count towards your added-sugar limit. Swapping white sugar for jaggery in the same amount does not solve the problem. Using less does.
Artificial sweeteners are not a magic fix. Some guidance now advises against relying on them for weight control. Reducing your overall taste for sweetness is the more lasting approach.
Answer a few quick questions and get a free Indian diet plan. Take it to your doctor or dietitian to adjust if you have a health condition.
Get my free plan → Ask the coachUnder 10% of your energy is the WHO limit, which is about 12 teaspoons on 2,000 kcal, and about 6 teaspoons gives extra benefit. Aim for fewer where you can.
No. The limit is for added or free sugar, not the sugar inside whole fruit, which comes with fibre.
Only marginally. It still counts as added sugar, and it affects blood glucose in a similar way.
Less so than whole fruit, because juicing removes the fibre and concentrates the sugar. Packaged juice often has sugar added too.
Figures marked with a tilde (~) are rounded estimates drawn from the sources above using standard home portions; real foods and recipes vary. This article is educational information, not medical or nutrition advice, and does not replace your doctor or dietitian.
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