23/10/2025
Let’s talk about sugar in moderation.
Earlier this week I took aim at a bag of lollies handed out at a school event by our Education Minister Blair Boyer.
The vast majority of comments and parents agreed they are fed up with the amount of sugar handed to our kids.
But there were a few who seemed confused. Those few used moderation as their argument. And I agree with them, everything in moderation.
HOWEVER we’ve lost sight of what moderation actually looks like and 4-6 times per week is not moderation, it’s more often than not.
But let’s also use some facts here.
For a 6-8 year old in Australia, the recommended maximum daily intake of added sugar is around 19-24 grams (5-6 teaspoons). This is according to guidelines from the world health organisation.
The bag of lollies from Blair Boyer contained a calculated estimate of 30-35g of sugar. That’s 7-8 teaspoons and already more than the recommended daily Maximum.
Let’s add that to a juice box (24g of sugar) and a bowl of cereal (let’s use weetbix with a teaspoon of honey as an example because it’s the most widely eaten cereal in Australia) 7g of sugar.
Already we are sitting at 60g of sugar for the day. Nearly triple the maximum recommended amount. And remember that’s not the recommended daily intake, that’s the maximum.
Yes I’ve used sand in my video, we don’t have a bag of sugar at home to use as a visual.
Yes I’m heaps of fun at a party.
And no, I am not trying to tell you how to parent your kids, just trying to educate.
