Shocked mum shares photo to show how much sugar in ONE Creme Egg
IT'S no secret that chocolate is packed full of sugar.
But it's not that easy to picture what it actually equates to.
One concerned mum decided to show exactly how much a Cadbury Creme Egg contains after discovering that just one amounts to almost the entire recommended daily intake for an adult.
Rebecca Bilham measured out 26g of sugar - or about five teaspoons - and piled it next to one foil-wrapped Creme Egg.
She also placed a two pence coin next to the massive pile for comparison and posted it on Facebook with the caption: "This amount of sugar in ONE cream egg?? Surely not......crikey!"
According to the recommended guidelines from the NHS, adults should be eating no more than seven teaspoons of sugar per day.
Children should only be eating between three and six teaspoons, depending on their age, so one Creme Egg could easily surpass their daily sugar allowance.
Rebecca told The Sun Online: "I found the amount of sugar claimed to be in a Creme Egg frightening to be honest.
"We all know they're full of sugar but actually seeing it in pure form it appears such a lot.
"I have let my son eat them at Easter, but I am conscious of his daily intake anyway and when you see eye opening content like this on social media it does make you stop and think twice.
We all know they're full of sugar but actually seeing it in pure form it appears such a lot
Rebecca
"However we are chocolate lovers in our household and won't be stopping eating them completely! Everything in moderation I think."
Chels, 25, who commented on the picture, told The Sun Online: "It was shocking that that amount of sugar can be in one small egg, but I don't eat them every day, just every so often.
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"My kids tried them once and didn't like them, they like chocolate but prefer fruit if given the option.
"I don't drink fizzy drinks or have sugar in tea so I don't have a lot of sugar.
"I'll probably continue to have one every so often because they're good."
Other commenters also voiced their shock at the amount of sugar in the egg but said they would still continue to eat them.
A spokeswoman for Cadbury said: "As with all of our delicious Cadbury chocolate, Cadbury Creme Egg can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet."
What about other treats?
So how does a Creme Egg compare to other sugar laden treats?
A can of Coke contains seven teaspoons of sugar, that's just two more than a Creme Egg.
And a regular 45g Cadbury dairy milk bar contains also contains 26 grams of sugar, making it more than 50 per cent sugar.
Eating excessive amounts of sugar comes with an array of health risks linked to obesity.
Those who are overweight are more at risk of type 2 diabetes, which comes with the risk of complications including heart attack, stroke and diseases.
Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the disease – accounting for between 85 and 95 per cent of all cases, according to Diabetes UK.
It is usually associated with obesity and occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level.
Carrying excess weight around your tummy, a common side effect of eating too much sugar, increases your risk of the disease because it releases chemicals that can upset the body's metabolism.
Studies have also linked excessive consumption of sugary treats to Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
Some NHS hospitals banned the sale of sugary drinks and treats in a bid to crack down on rising obesity levels.
And Public Health England has urged parents to limit their kids treats to two 100-calorie snacks a day in a bid to curb the amount of sugar they consume.
So just how much sugar should you be eating?
It is generally recommended that sugar intakes should only be about five per cent of your daily energy intake.
So that means no more than seven teaspoons per day for the average adult - the equivalent to a small glass of fruit juice and a flavoured yoghurt each day.
Children should be consuming far less than that.
Kids aged two and under should have just 3 teaspoons per day, kids aged three to six should have no more than four teaspoons a day and kids between seven and ten should have no more than six teaspoons.
Research previously revealed that kids in the UK were eating 20 chocolate chip biscuits worth of sugar every day.
MORE ON SUGAR
Around one in ten British kids are obese by the time they start primary school, but this doubles by the time they reach their final year, with one in five 11-year-olds dangerously tubby.
Action on Sugar, based at Queen Mary University of London, is calling on the Government to get tougher when it comes to regulating sugar in food.
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