South East set to eat 2,800 reindeers' worth of sugar at Christmas lunch

People in the South East are set to munch their way through three quarters of a million bags of sugar during Christmas lunch, according to a study.
Mydentist estimated the total amount of sugar the South East will consume at Christmas lunch. Picture: mydentistMydentist estimated the total amount of sugar the South East will consume at Christmas lunch. Picture: mydentist
Mydentist estimated the total amount of sugar the South East will consume at Christmas lunch. Picture: mydentist

Excluding extra treats like mince pies, mydentist estimates the average adult will consume 94g of sugar by eating and drinking their way through a prawn cocktail starter, turkey with all the trimmings, Christmas pudding, trifle, a glass of wine and one of bubbly.

For children (under 16s), who would have smaller portion sizes, the sugar count is still more than twice the adult recommended daily intake in just one meal. figures from mydentist, the largest provider of NHS dentistry in the UK, suggest.

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The research suggests 781,238kg of sugar will be consumed in the South East over Christmas lunch.

Mydentist released its top tips for taking care of teeth during Christmas. Picture: mydentistMydentist released its top tips for taking care of teeth during Christmas. Picture: mydentist
Mydentist released its top tips for taking care of teeth during Christmas. Picture: mydentist

To put the sugary meal into context, mydentist worked out that figure is equivalent to the weight of:

- 2,872 reindeer

- 488,274 Paw Patrol Zoomer toys of 1.6kg each

- 225,791 Nerf N Strike Mega Mastodon Blaster toys of 3.46kg each

- 54,824 5ft Christmas trees

- 16,983,426 Christmas crackers

Laid end-to-end 781,238kg bags of sugar would stretch 136 miles, the study says, almost the same distance as Eastbourne to Portsmouth and back by car.

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Non-executive director for mydentist, Barry Cockcroft said: “We often see and hear a lot about the number of calories we eat at Christmas, but here we’ve been amazed by the sheer volume of sugars concentrated in one meal.

“Without even considering goodies like mince pies and chocolates, we can see how easy it is to eat more than three times the daily recommended intake of sugar in just one meal.

“For children, who might have fruit juice with their dinner and be cracking open the chocolate at breakfast, they are particularly exposed.

“Nobody wants to spoil the Christmas fun, so while partaking of the seasonal excesses you can help protect the impact on your teeth with a few quick and easy steps on the day.”

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