Seen Here: Registered dietitian and Canderel nutrition consultant Mbali Mapholi encourages South Africans to rethink their everyday sugar habits, saying sustainable blood sugar management starts with simple, practical changes—like replacing added sugar in daily foods and drinks—rather than giving up the desserts they love. Photo Credit: Supplied
JOHANNESBURG – Managing blood sugar doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to dessert. Instead, it begins with identifying the hidden sugars consumed every day, according to registered dietitian and Canderel nutrition consultant Mbali Mapholi.
Mapholi believes one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding healthy eating is that people living with, or at risk of, diabetes must eliminate treats entirely. In reality, she says, sustainable blood sugar management starts with the small habits that quietly increase sugar intake throughout the day.
“Almost every consultation begins with the same question: Does this mean I can’t eat dessert anymore?” says Mapholi. “People immediately think they need to give up cake, chocolate or pudding. But healthy blood sugar management doesn’t begin with dessert—it begins with the small sugar habits we repeat every single day.”
Everyday habits matter more than occasional treats
Rather than focusing on birthday cake or weekend indulgences, Mapholi starts by asking clients a different question:
“Where are you adding sugar every day?”
For many South Africans, the answer lies in seemingly harmless routines—adding sugar to coffee and tea, sprinkling it over oats, eating sweetened breakfast cereals or flavoured yoghurt, and consuming packaged foods with hidden sugars.
“When we unpack someone’s routine, that’s where the real story begins,” she explains. “Two teaspoons of sugar in every cup of coffee, sugar stirred into tea, sweetened cereals and flavoured yoghurt are habits repeated every day, often without people realising how much added sugar they’re consuming.”
A growing health concern
Diabetes continues to pose a significant public health challenge in South Africa.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, an estimated 2.3 million South African adults are living with diabetes, while many others remain undiagnosed.
Mapholi believes conversations about reducing sugar should begin long before a diagnosis is made.
“The slice of birthday cake isn’t usually the biggest problem,” she says. “It’s the hidden sugars we consume every day that deserve more attention. Those small amounts can quietly add up over time.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting free sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily energy intake, with additional health benefits achieved by reducing it to below 5%.
Replace the sugar, not the ritual
Instead of asking people to give up the foods and drinks they enjoy, Mapholi encourages practical changes that are easier to maintain over the long term.
“I don’t ask clients to stop drinking coffee if they love coffee. I don’t tell them they can never bake again,” she says. “I look for the easiest habit to change first.”
Her advice is straightforward:
Replace the sugar—not the ritual.
“If you’re adding sugar to your coffee every morning, start there. If you sweeten your tea, start there. You don’t have to stop enjoying the foods and drinks you love. You simply need a smarter way to sweeten them.”
One option she recommends is replacing sugar with Canderel, a low-calorie sweetener that allows people to enjoy sweetness while reducing their intake of added sugar.
“I don’t encourage people to stop enjoying sweet foods and drinks,” she explains. “I encourage them to reduce the sugar they’re adding every day. Replacing sugar with Canderel is one practical way of doing that without completely changing the routine they already enjoy.”
Balanced nutrition remains the priority
Mapholi stresses that low- and no-calorie sweeteners should not be viewed as a miracle solution, but rather as one tool within an overall healthy eating pattern.
She notes that while questions continue to arise following the World Health Organization’s 2023 guideline on non-sugar sweeteners, more recent scientific evidence has strengthened support for their use when replacing sugar in foods and beverages.
“Approved low- and no-calorie sweeteners can help reduce both sugar and energy intake when they replace sugar-containing foods and drinks,” she says. “The important word is replace. They’re not about making an already high-sugar diet sweeter.”
She also encourages people to improve the nutritional quality of desserts by making simple ingredient swaps.
Among her recommendations are:
- Replacing sugar with low-calorie sweeteners where appropriate.
- Choosing plain Greek yoghurt instead of sweetened varieties.
- Using berries for natural sweetness and added fibre.
- Adding chia seeds, oats and nuts to increase protein and fibre content.
- Building meals that help support steady blood sugar levels.
“When people discover they can still enjoy dessert without relying on large amounts of added sugar, healthy eating suddenly feels achievable instead of restrictive,” she says.
Five practical rules for reducing sugar
Before clients leave her consulting room, Mapholi shares five guiding principles designed to encourage lasting lifestyle changes:
- Identify where you add sugar every day.
- Replace sugar before eliminating foods you enjoy.
- Choose practical changes that suit your lifestyle.
- Include protein and fibre in meals and desserts to help support balanced blood sugar.
- Focus on consistent progress rather than perfection.
“My goal has never been to put people on restrictive diets,” she says. “It’s to help them build habits they can still be following years from now.”
Small changes, lasting results
As more South Africans become proactive about managing their health, Mapholi believes the national conversation around sugar should move away from guilt and unrealistic restrictions.
Instead, she advocates for simple, sustainable changes that fit naturally into everyday life.
“The healthiest lifestyle isn’t the one that’s perfect,” she says. “It’s the one you can sustain. Sometimes that starts with something as simple as replacing the sugar in your morning coffee. Sometimes it’s baking your favourite dessert differently. Small changes, repeated consistently, are what create lasting results.”
With diabetes on the rise and awareness around nutrition growing, experts say that focusing on everyday habits—not occasional indulgences—may be one of the most effective ways for South Africans to improve their long-term health while still enjoying the foods they love.
