If the queues are any indication, Singaporeans love their dessert trends. Aside from the promise of a Toto windfall and reselling some H&M Balmain, nothing else makes Singaporeans stand in snaking lines on a regular basis.

Sadly, many of them find also out that the price of overeating glorious, sugary treats can be a heavy one to pay.

The realisation process usually kinda goes like this:

1) One morning after a hard night of partying, you realise that your trusty pair of jeans has started to tear at the seams. You mourn the loss of your old friend.

2) That annoying auntie that you only meet in the elevator during very bad days notices that you have put on weight (Ah boy ah, you now very fat ah)

3) Before you know it, your knees have buckled and you’re on your way to having Type 2 diabetes. Congratulations, you are now a statistic, part of Singapore’s 10.53% population who have the disease.

All that of course, can be mitigated. There are good carbs: those that are rich in fibre such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Then there are bad carbs: refined carbohydrates that have been associated with obesity and other health risks – and yes, sugar is one of them.

Sugar contributes greatly to the total overall caloric count of desserts, and with enough exercise, you might just able to turn things around.

Now, not all of us can afford the fancy gym membership – but we do have access to the humble staircase, which burns up to twice as many calories as walking on level ground. (And if you don’t live in a high-rise apartment, you probably can afford that gym membership)

With that in mind we wonder: how many storeys do you have to climb to burn off your favourite sugary snacks?

THE CONSIDERATIONS:

- For a better visual representation, we’re going to use the 50-storey Pinnacle@Duxton to represent what you have to climb.

- Depending on your height, weight or metabolism, you may have to climb more or less. Generally, if you’re heavier you’ll expend more energy.

-The calculations here are on an assumption you weigh (50 kg) if you’re a female and (70 kg) if you are male. Sorry ladies, because guys are generally heavier, it also means they lose weight faster.

- Calculations were done here, using the activity “Walking up stairs, using or climbing up ladder.”

- That you are capable of walking up 50 storeys in 30 minutes (it’s really not that difficult if you are reasonably fit)

- You don’t get lazy and take the lift halfway

THE TEMPTATIONS

1. Salted Egg Croissant

A recent entrant, the dastardly salted egg croissant made its first appearance in Hong Kong, stopped by Kuala Lumpur, before finally making its way down to Singapore.

What’s the damage: A single piece (57g) contains 6 grams of sugar and 210 kcal*.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 210kcal: 60 storeys or, 1.2 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 210kcal: 43 storeys, or 0.86 Pinnacle@Duxtons

2. Korean Bingsu

Our love for all things Korean started in our ears with K-pop, our hearts with K-drama and now in our stomachs with Bingsu. It’s a tasty treat for Singapore’s sweltering heat – but just eat it in moderation, lest your kidneys collapse under the large amounts of sugar it contains.

What’s the damage: One 180g bowl has a whopping 27.9 grams of sugar and contains 326kcal*.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 326kcal: 93 storeys or, 1.86 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 326kcal: 67 storeys, or 1.34 Pinnacle@Duxtons

3. Churros

Along with the hipsters and their cafes came the Spanish churro. Like many European treats, it was humble in its origins, but enjoyed an elevation in status to become a symbol for spending power, success and individuality in Singapore. Why this is the case, we will never know.

What’s the damage: Three sticks of churros contains approximately 18 grams of sugar and will pack some 348 kcal*. Multiply accordingly if you are having more – you know you will.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 348 kcal: 99 storeys, or almost 2 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 348kcal: 72 storeys, or 1.44 Pinnacle@Duxtons

4. Durian Cream Puff

Durian cream puffs are arguably the perfect marriage of Singaporean and French culture. The mighty and prickly king-of-the-fruits meets the dainty cream puff. Who knew deadly spikes and crisp pastries could make tasty, tasty magic?

What’s the damage: Eating three of these durian puffs will quickly load you up with 993kcal and 9 grams of sugar. Given how easy it is to binge eat these things, you best watch yourself.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 993kcal: 285 storeys, or 5.7 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 993kcal: 201 storeys, or 4 Pinnacle@Duxtons

5. Macarons

Finding their way into our consciousness circa early 2010, Macarons are pretty much the bar shots of the dessert world. You might buy this for your girlfriend/boyfriend and think that you’re being sweet, but too much and you’ll be hurting both their blood sugar levels and your wallet.

These tiny, bite-sized snacks can cost up to $3.80 each. (Chomp chomp chomp. There goes your salary.) To be fair, they do take some serious skill to make.

What’s the damage: A single macaron contains 15.6 grams of sugar and 131 kcal*. Quite a lot of sugar for something so small.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 131 kcal: 37 storeys, around 0.74 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 131 kcal: 27 storeys, around 0.54 Pinnacle@Duxtons

6. Brownie and Ice Cream

A classic dessert predating the internet age, brownies and ice cream are hot and cold, not unlike a Katy Perry song. A mainstay on dessert menus worldwide, they are among the most sinful of all the foods listed here. After all, who can resist a sweet treat after a meal?

What’s the damage: 733kcal, if you are having a 100 grams brownie and 100 grams single scoop of ice cream. Contains 30 grams of sugar.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 733kcal: 209 storeys, 4.18 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 733kcal: 150 storeys, 3 Pinnacle@Duxtons

7. Ice Coffee

Arguably everyone’s favourite non-human Instagram models, cups of coffee have been widely blamed for bulging waistlines. Is there a basis to this accusation? We say yes. Ever wondered why they taste so sweet? Certain drinks have significant amounts of both sugar and calories – drinking them too frequently is your sure-fire way to an unhealthy body.

What’s the damage: A relatively innocuous sounding Venti Green Tea Crème Frappuccino Blended Crème contains some 550kcal a cup, and has 88 grams of sugar. Unless you’re sprinting 10 km to work each morning, you have no business loading up like that.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 550kcal: 157 storeys, or 3.14 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off the 550kcal: 112 storeys, or 2.24 Pinnacle@Duxtons

8. Cronuts

2013 was a dark time to be alive. The world was introduced to the Cronut – the lovechild of a croissant and a donut, and a prescription for obesity. Originally invented by New York pastry chef Dominique Ansel, imitations in Singapore soon showed up at local patisseries.

In true Singapore fashion, they were significantly smaller than the original.

What’s the damage: The original Cronut was a monster, estimated by one magazine to contain as much as 1300 kcal with 46 g of sugar. Singapore’s cheaper, smaller imitations probably have approximately 300 kcal in them. Just for kicks, let’s use the larger figure.

How many storeys a girl has to climb to burn off 1300kcal: 371 storeys, or 7.42 Pinnacle@Duxtons

How many storeys a guy has to climb to burn off 1300kcal: 265 storeys, or 5.3 Pinnacle@Duxtons

CUTTING DOWN ON SUGAR

Why cut down on sugar? Unless you find tooth decay, chronic diseases, dull skin, reduced alertness awesome, you definitely should.

Short of climbing stairs everywhere you go, one way to continue to enjoy your favourite snacks is to limit your sugar intake elsewhere. For instance, you might want to consider dropping fizzy soft drinks from your diet, and opt for healthier options that contain less sugar.

The recommended added sugar intake by World Health Organisation (WHO) is approximately 5% of your energy requirement (roughly 24g of added sugar for the average adult).

VITAGEN Less Sugar

When it comes to digestive drinks, VITAGEN is the healthier choice for cultured milk drinks, containing 50% less sugar than regular cultured milk drinks.

But don’t take our word for it – just look out for HPB’s “Healthier Choice” pyramid plastered on the side of the bottles.

This is a result of a whole bunch of reasons, including the fact that VITAGEN uses real fruit juice to create different flavours. Each bottle also contains billions of live probiotic cultures – specially imported from Denmark.

Each bottle also contains 7.5g of prebiotic fibre, and contributes to 28% of one person’s daily dietary fibre intake.

Top photo from CCFoodTravel.com Flickr page

This article was brought to you by VITAGEN Less Sugar.

VITAGEN Less Sugar contains 50% less sugar than regular cultured milk drinks. For more information on how to lead a healthier, less-sugar lifestyle, visit the VITAGEN Singapore Facebook Page.

*Information on nutritional statistics used with permission from Food Advisory Group.