How much sugar do you take in a day?
Let’s calculate!
Malaysia is famous for its diverse food, features a unique combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours. No matter how sweet or oily the food is, many people still gobble it down.
Health concerns? ‘Oops, let's talk about it tomorrow!’ When this indulgence becomes a habit, the alarm bell of health has already begun to ring. Malaysia has the highest prevalence of diabetes among Southeast Asian countries. Official data from the Health Ministry shows that our country’s prevalence of diabetes in 2023 is 15.6%, representing one in every six adults over the age of 18.
Newsgraphy compiled a list of 85 food and drink items that you normally enjoy, based on the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2020 from the Health Ministry. Simply select the foods and drinks you eat and drink throughout the day from the chart below to estimate how much is your sugar intake.
How to calculate sugar content of food and drinks?
We calculate the sugar content per 100g of food based on the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2020, then refer to food ingredient websites (e.g. mynetdiary.com, nutritionix.com etc.) to get the recommended servings of each food item to calculate the sugar content of the food.
How to compare sugar consumption habits with different countries?
We used the data of raw sugar supply per person per day in 2022 from Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations. It serves as the basis for comparing our daily sugar intake to find out which countries are closest to our sugar intake habits.
Produced by: Leo Chen, Dexter Chan
Illustrator: Joyce Lin
Edited by: Dexter Chan