6 Hidden Sources of Sugar
Do you know how much sugar you’re really eating every day? We have all heard that it’s healthy to cut back on your sugar, and that it may help you lose weight, clear up your digestion and skin, and give you more energy. All of this is true, among other benefits, but decreasing your sugar intake is often harder than it seems, especially since so many of the foods in our diets are hidden sources of sugar. Here are a few ways to figure out the hidden sources of sugar in your diet.
The American heart association (AHA) recommends no more than 9 tsp or 36 grams of sugar per day for men, and no more than 6 tsp or 25 grams per day for women. If you go through your diet and add up all of the sugar you’re getting in your diet, you might realize you are far exceeding these limits on a daily basis.
Check out these hidden sources of excess sugar and see how much sugar you’re really eating.
Beverages
Do you add sugar or creamer to your coffee in the morning or do you end up getting a vanilla latte from your favorite coffee shop a little more regularly than you’d like to admit? Beverages are a huge source of sugar. From the coffee at the beginning of your day, to fruit juice or soda, and alcohol at the end of your day, you may be getting more sugar in your diet from your beverages than you realized. Coffee creamer, juice, smoothies, alcohol, and sweetened milk alternatives all contain added sugar.
A Starbucks Grande Latte has 18grams of sugar. 18grams, and that’s not even a flavored one! Make it a vanilla latte and the sugar in that one coffee drink almost doubles to 35g! So if you’re a man, you’re at your sugar limit for the entire day in that one drink, and if you’re a woman, you’re already well over your limit, in just one drink!
·Alternative milks, such as coconut, almond, or hemp milk, are great options for those trying to avoid dairy. But make sure you’re buying unsweetened milk, as the flavored ones can be full of sugar.
And that soda that you drink, that’s a full daily serving of sugar in a single can!
Fruit juices are high in sugar too. Many have added sugars but even the amount of natural sugar in one glass of juice is high. You also lose the fiber when you juice a fruit which means you don’t have anything to help stabilize the inevitable blood sugar spike from the fruit juice.
Tip: Making smoothies at home is a great way to get fruit in . By blending the fruit rather than juicing it, you are holding onto the fiber and other nutrients lost in the juicing process. You can even add in veggies like spinach and avocado without altering the flavor much which is a great added benefit.
Your best bet for beverages is water and coffee or espresso, without the cream and sugar. If you need something in your coffee, opt for a small amount of cream or unsweetened milk alternative. A natural sparkling water now and then is okay too.
Condiments and pre-made sauces
Ketchup and salad dressings can have a lot of sugar in them. Even things that we think of as savory, like tomato sauce, have added sugars. Make sure you’re reading labels and choosing those with lower sugar, or make them yourself at home!
Fast food is a big offender when it comes to added sugars. So much of fast food has added sugars, even in places you wouldn’t expect, like burgers and sandwiches, and even salads.
Tip: Skip the fast food whenever possible. Keep healthy snacks in your car, such as trail mix, organic grass fed meat/pepperoni sticks, or low sugar protein bars so you can have healthier options when hungry on the go.
Subway: A foot long sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich from Subway has 32 grams of sugar! Even as a salad, there are still 23 grams of sugar in it.
Wendy’s: A salad may seem like the healthier option, but a Wendy’s apple pecan chicken salad contains 40 grams of sugar. I was shocked when I read this, and saddened because so many people think they are making a healthier choice choosing a salad, but with sugar levels that high, that’s not healthy by any definition.
McDonald’s: A bacon clubhouse grilled chicken sandwich from McDonalds? While it’s better than that sweet onion chicken teriyaki from Subway, it still has 14 grams of sugar. That’s more than 3 teaspoons of sugar, from a savory sandwich. You might think that getting a fruit and yogurt parfait is a healthier option, but it contains 23 grams of sugar. If that’s your breakfast, you’ve pretty much consumed all of your allotted sugar for the day, likely before 9am.
“Healthy” foods – such as dried fruit, granola/nutrition bars, yogurt, oatmeal packets. These foods are often marketed as healthy options, but when you look at how much sugar some of them may have, the true health value of these foods is almost insignificant.
Dried fruit has high levels of sugar. It is natural sugar, but because you are dehydrating it, you are eating much more than you would if you were eating the fruit whole. Many dried fruit products on the market have added sugars too so pay attention to the sugar amount on labels and limit the amount you are eating if you choose dried fruit. Whole fruit is always going to be a better option.
Granola and nutrition bars are advertised as healthy foods but they can have very high levels of sugar. Check the labels! Sometimes you need a snack on the go and nutrition bars that are lower in sugar are a great option. (For example, KIND® bar has many different flavors with 5g of sugar or less).
Yogurt can be healthy, especially when it has live probiotics and no added sugar. Most people opt for the fruit flavored ones though which have sugar from the fruit, plus additional added sugar.
Tip: An easy way to avoid the added sugar is to buy a plain yogurt and add the fruit at home.
Oatmeal packets– this is an easy option for a quick breakfast but flavored oatmeal packets tend to be high in sugar, with some having as much as 14 grams of sugar per packet.
Tip: Making your own oatmeal with a little honey or maple syrup will typically have much less sugar than the pre-made kind. If you’re short on time, do “overnight oats.” (Soak ½ a cup of oats with 1 cup of your preferred type of milk, plus your favorite oatmeal toppings and a small amount of sweetener in a mason jar overnight. Since the oats soak overnight, you don’t have to cook them in the morning- just stir and eat!) Your options are endless as you can add whatever toppings you like with a small amount of your preferred sweetener for healthier homemade oatmeal that’s still a quick morning go-to.
Packaged foods
Many of these foods contain added sugars, and much more sugar than you would add if you made them yourself. Read labels, check for added sugars where there shouldn’t be any and know what you’re eating.
Check the labels on what you’re eating at home, and pay attention to how many servings of those you’re actually eating, and you’ll see how quickly those added sugars can add up!
Caution against foods marked low-fat or fat-free. The fat is typically replaced with sugar (and chemicals). Not only are you getting added sugars, but the naturally occurring fats used to help reduce a spike in blood sugar have been removed, which make that sugar intake even worse.
You may be wondering why you shouldn’t just choose foods that are labeled sugar-free if all of these foods are full of sugar and sugar is bad for you. Foods that are labeled sugar-free have typically had the sugar replaced with synthetic sweeteners and usually added chemicals to help make up for the loss of flavor from the sugar that was removed. If you are going to have a treat, eat the real thing.
Tip: Real sugar in small amounts is better than chemicals and synthetic foods in any amount. Add your own sugar whenever possible to be able to control the quality and amount of sugar you are using.
Here’s the thing, you need to know what you’re eating! Always check labels, be aware of how much you’re eating, and choose real food instead of processed or packaged foods whenever you can. Hidden sugars can add up quickly so know what you’re eating so you can make healthier choices and find small ways to cut back on your sugar throughout your day. You’ll start to notice the benefits in no time!
Dr. Christina Sahni is a licensed naturopathic physician in Portland, OR. She treats people of all ages with a broad spectrum of health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, IBS, adrenal fatigue, and many more. A more complete list of what Dr. Sahni treats can be found here.
Contact Dr. Sahni today to schedule an appointment to get a personalized health plan specific to your individual needs.