Sugar... Ah, honey, honey,
You are my candy girl,
And you’ve got me wanting you…
(“Sugar Sugar” by The Archies)
Sugar. It’s the sweetness of life – the nectar of the gods. I have a major sweet tooth. And my waistline shows it.
Not all sugar should be condemned. After all, it’s a natural substance and occurs organically in a lot of our fruits and vegetables. The natural fructose found in our fruits and vegetables and the lactose in milk are part of a healthy diet.
But there are foods – if you are on a diet – that have added hidden sugars. Processed foods are usually packed with unnaturally high amounts of sugar that can blow a diet no matter how good you try to be. According to Everydayhealth.com, here are 10 foods that are surprisingly high in processed sugars, and are potential diet-busters.
Granola bars: Granola bars contain a lot of added sugar. Instead of a prepackaged granola bar, make your own or just mix up a bagful of nuts, dried fruits, dry oats and even a bit of chocolate. This is just as nutritious and you control the sugar.
Cereal: It’s quick and easy and a great way to have your most important meal of the day, but those Frosted Mini-Wheats? Once the milk hits the frosting, it’s like a liquid sugar rush. You should really read the labels. Some cereals have as many as 13-16 grams of sugar per serving and others as few as two grams. My husband recently developed Type II Diabetes, so I’ve started watching the sugar content in foods. You’ll be surprised once you start paying attention
Barbecue sauce: If you’ve ever made your own barbecue sauce, you know that the recipe usually includes one or more natural sugars such as honey, molasses, and brown sugar. Bottled brands can have as many as 15 grams of added sugar per serving. Every time you slather on that bottled sauce, you’re adding sugar to your meat. Seasoning meat with a dry rub before cooking it is a much better option whether dieting or not.
Ketchup: Step away from the ketchup! With about one teaspoon of sugar in every one-tablespoon serving, ketchup is a startling source of added sugar. You may not see the word “sugar” in the ingredients list, but they are there in the form of corn syrup, sorghum, glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, galactose, maltose, and concentrated juices, like concentrated grape or apple juice. Make your own homemade ketchup. It’s not difficult, and again, you’re in control of the sugar!
Tomato sauce and soups: Again, read the label. Like ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato soup may also be foods with sugar added. When cooking these from scratch at home, you might use caramelized onions or carrots for a little sweetness to counter the acidity in tomatoes. Not all tomato products contain a lot of added sugar, so get in the habit of checking the label. Tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, and salsa are all good additions to a low-sugar diet.
Fruit juices: Even if the label says it’s 100 percent natural juice and contains only natural sugars, you still may be looking at a hefty serving of sugar per portion. For example, a 10-ounce bottle of pure apple juice could have as many as 32 grams of sugar. Instead of a glass of juice, choose fresh fruit — while it still contains sugar, it also has fiber.
Lemonade: Lemons are a wonderful source of antioxidants and vitamin C. Adding a squeeze of lemon to water improves taste and is good for you. But when turned into lemonade, the benefits of lemons may be outweighed by the amount of added sugar needed to sweeten the drink, as much as 25 grams per serving. Again – make it fresh at home.
Sweet tea: Like juice, sweet tea seems to be in a separate category from sugary sodas in the public’s mind. The reality is that sweet tea often contains just as much sugar and just as little nutrition as soda. Both black and green teas can be good for you because of the antioxidants – just opt for the unsweetened variety.
Flavored yogurt: Yogurt is so good for your digestive tract that it’s hard to think of it as a food with sugar, or that the six to seven teaspoons of added sugar in one serving of flavored yogurt could be an issue, but imagine layering that amount of sugar onto plain yogurt. A better option is to go Greek: Drizzle a little honey onto plain, thick-style Greek yogurt or just add fresh fruit for natural sweetness.
Dried fruit: A really healthy snack, but again, don’t overdo it. Five to six pitted dates have 32 grams of sugar. But don’t eliminate fruits from your diet – they do contain a much needed amount of fiber – just eat in moderation.