Is hidden sugar sneaking into your diet?

Who doesn’t love some sweets, some desserts?  Everyone knows candy, cookies, pies, cakes, and other desserts have sugar.   But you may not be aware of the amount of added sugar in everyday foods.  What are some food sources of hidden sugar that may surprise you?  What is the difference between the natural sugar in foods and added sugar?  It is the added sugar in foods that can lead to a number of health problems including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, dental disease and even liver disease.    

What foods have natural sugar?

When health professionals recommend cutting back on “sugar”, they usually aren’t talking about the natural sugar in foods.  Did you know cow’s milk has some natural sugar called “lactose”?  It is not very sweet so milk doesn’t taste very sweet unless it is chocolate milk and sugar has been added.  Fruit contains a natural sugar called “fructose”.  So why don’t you get a sugar high when you eat an apple or an orange?  Because the fiber in fruit slows the absorption of fructose.  Fruits can raise your blood sugar level but more gradually than a sugared soda would. 

What is “added sugar”?

Added sugars are different than the naturally occurring sugars in food.  The American Heart Association notes, “Added sugars are sugars and syrups put into foods during preparation and processing, or at the table”.  These added sugars can sneak into our diets in more places than you would expect. 

What are some common added sugars?

  •  High-fructose corn syrup – found in many foods and in drinks like sodas
  •  Cane sugar/sucrose– white table sugar found in baked goods and many processed foods
  •  Brown sugar – a sugar that contains some molasses
  •  Maple syrup – added to foods like breakfast cereals
  •  Honey – a more natural sweetener
  •  Molasses – sometimes added to breads and desserts
  •  Corn syrup
  •  Evaporated cane juice – sounds fancier than cane sugar but it is just sugar

What are some surprising sources of added or hidden sugars in your diet?

My husband was trying to cut back on added sugars.  Then he started to read the labels and was surprised at how many products had some sugar added to them.

  • Pasta sauces:  My husband read the ingredients on the pasta sauce he was buying and chooses a pasta sauce with no added sugar like Classico Tomato and Basil sauce, Prego no sugar added sauce.   Botticelli has a marinara sauce with no added sugar.  Look at ingredients for Alfredo sauce and you will find some added sugar. 
  • Ketchup and barbecue sauce:  often have added sugar.   We choose a ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup. 
  • Soup:  He then read the ingredients on the can of tomato soup, added sugar.  Campbell’s notes its tomato soup has 8 grams of added sugar or 32 calories out of the 90 calories are added sugar. 
  • Granola bars:  People love to buy granola bars thinking they are healthy but many are loaded with added sugar in many forms including brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, brown sugar syrup, dextrose, and maybe some fructose added. 
  • Juice drinks:  Juice drinks can be loaded with added sugar.  100% fruit juice would have no added sugar but fruit drinks, fruit punch, juice drinks would have added sugar. 
  • Sweetened Yogurt:  Yogurt is a healthy choice but some brands can have quite a bit of added sugar.  My husband likes plain Greek yogurt and adds fresh fruit.  I like yogurt with some added sugar but read labels to be sure it is a small amount. 
  • Sodas and Energy drinks:  High fructose corn syrup is often added.  An energy drink can have up to 25 grams of added sugar or 100 calories of added sugar per cup. 
  • Cereals:  I like instant oatmeal but to cut back on the added sugar, I now choose the lower sugar Apples & Cinnamon oatmeal.   Some cereals can have 10-20 grams of added sugar or 40-80 calories worth of added sugar per cup. 
  • Salad Dressings:  Do you enjoy some salad dressing on your salad?  Salad dressings may be another source of added sugar especially if you like raspberry vinaigrette, French, or Catalina.  These can have 5-7 grams of added sugar (20 – 28 calories) per 2 Tablespoons.  Breakfast cereals can be loaded with added sugar. Some cereals have 10-20 grams of added sugar or 40-80 calories of added sugar. 
  • Sweet tea – buy some sweet tea in a bottle and it may have 32 grams of added sugar (128 calories) of added sugar per bottle.  Choose unsweetened tea or brew your own tea. 
 

How can you cut back on added sugars? 

  • Read the labels:  Look at the nutrition label to see if there is added sugars.  Then review the ingredient list.  The ingredients are listed in order so if sugar is the first ingredient the product is mostly sugar.
  • Choose unsweetened options.  My husband now buys pasta sauce with no sugar added.  We make our own vinaigrette dressing with no sugar added.  We buy ketchup without any high fructose corn syrup.
  • Cook at home.  Then you know what is in your food.
  • Reduce sugary drinks.  Instead of a soda, enjoy an unsweetened ice tea or some 100% fruit juice with water, or herbal teas. 
  • Enjoy some natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup but in small amount. 
  • Choose spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to add flavor without adding sugar. (See:  Spice up your health with some spices )
  • Canned fruit:  Choose canned fruit packed in its own juice or enjoy some fresh fruit.
  • Applesauce:  Choose unsweetened apple sauce
  • Cereals: Look for cereals with less added sugar.

Conclusion:  We enjoy our desserts and know desserts have added sugar.  But we do try to cut back on the added sugar in our meals and beverages.  Small changes can make a big difference in the amount of added sugar in your diet.  (See:  How to crush those sugar cravings.)  My daughter loved sweet tea.  To cut down on added sugar she started to drink half sweet tea mixed with half unsweetened tea.  Now, she drinks all unsweetened tea.  It took a while but she finally got used to drinking unsweetened tea and gave up a lot of added sugar.  What would be the easiest way for you to cut back on added sugar?  When you start reading ingredient labels you will be surprised at the everyday food items that have added sugar.  


 

Sources:  health , notes , sugars , Botticelli , tomato soup , energy drink , cereals , salad dressing , sweet tea Image sources:  Added sugar , Prego , Added sugar

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