Top 10 High Sugar Foods that You Wouldn’t Expect
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“Daily Mail – How much sugar does your drink REALLY contain? From a small white wine to a glass of prosecco – we reveal the best and worst alcoholic tipples)) Share this...FacebookRedditStumbleuponTwitter”
It is pretty well known now that eating too much sugar is very bad for your health. In fact, studies have shown that too much sugar can lead to cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and many other things. Therefore, it is important to minimize how much sugar you consume. However, this can be much harder than you think because there are a lot of foods with hidden sugar in them. With that in mind, check out below for the top 10 high sugar foods that you wouldn’t expect.
#10. Low-Fat Yogurt
Yogurt is a highly nutritious food. However, not every yogurt you eat is equal. In fact, many “low fat” yogurts are chocked full of sugars in order to add extra flavor to them. For example, 1 cup (245 grams) of low fat yogurt can have as much as 47 grams (12 teaspoons) of sugar in it.((healthline – 18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar)) This is more than the daily recommended dose of sugar in a single day! Therefore, if you still want to eat yogurt and get its health benefits, it is best to eat Greek or natural full fat yogurts.
#9. Spaghetti Sauce
There are many different types of high sugar foods that you would never expect. One of the worst culprits is actually spaghetti sauce. They naturally have a lot of natural sugar due to the tomatoes. However, many brands also add extra sugar in them as well in order to add more flavor.((healthline – Tomatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits))
If you still want to eat your pasta with spaghetti sauce, the best way to avoid the extra sugar is by making your own.
Eating salads is a great way to be healthy. However, one of the easiest ways to ruin the health benefits of a salad is by adding salad dressing. In fact, depending on the type and brand of salad dressing, they are one of the worst high sugar foods you can eat. For example, 4 tablespoons of French dressing can have as much as 11 grams of sugar.((Insider – 13 foods you didn’t realize have shocking amounts of sugar)) That is the same as if you sprinkled you salad with a handful of chocolate chips.
#7. Bottled Smoothies
Smoothies can be a great meal to start your morning or even a great healthy snack. However, not all smoothies are created equal. In fact, many commercial smoothies that you can buy in bottles at the store are filled with a lot of extra sugar from things such as syrup, ice cream, and fruit juice. They can have over 96 grams (24 teaspoons) of sugar in a single serving!((SELF Nutrition Data – Jamba Juice specialty: Smoothie, Caribbean Passion®))
#6. Bread
A sandwich is often the main part of most people’s lunch. However, most people don’t even realize that by eating it, they are actually consuming about half of their daily sugar intake. This is because bread is one of the most high sugar foods out there. In fact, according to the USDA, a single slice of white bread can have around 2 grams of added sugar!((USDA – Full Report (All Nutrients): 45035275, WHITE BREAD, UPC: 708820088047)) That means if you are eating a sandwich, you are having at least 4 grams of added sugar!
#5. BBQ Sauce
You might not pour sugar over a steak, but when you are adding BBQ sauce, you are pretty much doing the same thing. In fact, BBQ sauce is one of the worst high sugar food items you can eat. Just 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce have around 11 grams of sugar in it or around 40% of its weight is actually just sugar!((USDA – Basic Report: 06150, Sauce, barbecue)) As a point of reference, the USDA recommends that children only eat 12 grams of sugar a day.
#4. Canned Soup
Canned soup is great for a cold winter day or when you are sick. But hold up a minute. It actually might not be as good as you think. In fact, canned soup, such as tomato soup can contain as much as 36 grams of sugar in just one can!((USDA – Basic Report: 18275, Muffins, blueberry, dry mix))
#3. Peanut Butter
If you have ever eaten or made home made peanut butter, you might have realized that it doesn’t have quite the same taste as the ones you buy in the store. This is because store bought peanut butter is in fact one of the worst high sugar foods out there. According to the USDA, there is about 6 grams of sugar in just 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. If you are adding that to a peanut butter sandwich you can be having as much as 10 grams of sugar.((USDA – Basic Report: 09131, Grapes, american type (slip skin), raw))
#2. Ketchup
Ketchup is one of the most famous condiments out there. It goes great with so many different foods such as burgers, hot dogs, and french fries. While it might be really tasty, it also happens to be one of the worst high sugar foods out there. In fact, according to the USDA, 2 tablespoons of store bought ketchup can have as much as 8 grams of sugar in it.((USDA – Basic Report: 11935, Catsup)) That is as much sugar as a chocolate chip cookie!
#1. Alcoholic Drinks
If you are skipping dessert for some alcoholic beverages in order to skip a bit of sugar, you might be in for a surprise. In fact, many alcoholic drinks are chocked full of sugar. For example, a vodka and cranberry can have as much as 30 grams of sugar in it. Even if you were getting something a bit simpler such as a gin and tonic, you would still be consuming around 18 grams of sugar.((Daily Mail – How much sugar does your drink REALLY contain? From a small white wine to a glass of prosecco – we reveal the best and worst alcoholic tipples))
