Know What You're Eating: 10 Foods Loaded With Sugar
We all know the negative impact that too much sugar can have on our health
from weight gain, heart health and effects on your brain. But it can be
tough to kick. Sugar has addictive tendencies that can cause withdraw
like symptoms when your body goes without it.
The American Heart Association recommends five teaspoons of sugar a day
for women, nine teaspoons for men and three for children. The obvious
high sugar offenders are things like sodas and sweeteners, but studies
show they only account for one-third of the average person’s sugar intake.
The University of North Carolina did research that shows around 60 percent
of products in grocery stores contain added sugar. That added sugar goes
by more than 61 different names on food labels so even if you’re
actively trying to cut down on sugar it could still be hidden in your food.
It’s hard to cut down on the intake of something when you don’t
realize you’re consuming it, so here are ten common foods you might
not know are sneaking sugar into your diet.
Bananas
There are so many benefits to bananas like potassium, Vitamin C and fiber
but bananas also contain 14 grams of sugar on average. You might think
sugar from fruit is better for you than sugar from candy, but they both
contain fructose and glucose they’re just processed differently.
You can keep eating the bananas, just do it in moderation or trade it
out for an avocado.
Apples
Apples are another fruit that is packed with benefits but also contains
a high amount of sugar. One medium apple contains on average 19 grams of sugar.
Ketchup
In every tablespoon (17 grams) of ketchup, 3.7 of those grams are sugar,
which is more than a chocolatechip cookie! Next time you order a burger
and fries think twice before drenching it in ketchup.
Wholewheat bread
We were just as surprised are you are. Wholewheat bread contains 1.6 grams
of sugar where as white bread only contains 1.5 grams. Not to say that
wholewheat isn’t the healthier option, but in the sugar category
is falls short.
Peanut butter
One serving of peanut butter contains up to 3 grams of added sugar typically
disguised as maltodextrin, corn syrup and molasses on the label. A serving
of jelly has up to 10 grams of sugar making that peanut butter and jelly
on wholewheat bread two-thirds of your sugar intake for the day if you’re a female.
Crackers
Some popular wholegrain crackers contain up to 4 grams of combined sugar
in a serving (5 crackers). The good news is there are sugar free options.
Yogurt
Plain and Greek yogurt contain 6 grams of sugar per container which is
half a cup. Adding granola and fruit can seem like a healthy snack but
it’s actually loaded with sugar.
Oatmeal
One cup of cooked oatmeal contains 1.1 grams of sugar not to mention the
sugar added after it’s cooked for flavor. While it’s high
in fiber and beneficial for helping you feel fuller longer, if you’re
looking to cut down on sugar, consider a low sugar dry cereal.
Milk
One cup of 1% milk contains 13 grams of sugar whereas 2%, non-fat and whole
milk contains 12 grams. And perhaps the most shocking of all is powdered
milk which contains 49 grams of sugar per cup. Alternatives like almond
milk of cashew milk contain no sugar.
Pasta sauce
A half a cup of tomato-pasta sauce can contain up to 15 grams of sugar
making it the third most prominent ingredient. And chances are you’re
using more than half a cup of sauce on your pasta.
Don’t be too discouraged; you need some sugar in your diet. Just
be mindful when shopping and snacking.