What foods should you watch out for which contain added sugar?

    Excessive sugar consumption has been linked to type-2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and elevated blood cholesterol.  The previous statement is a fact.  Thus, you should be aware of foods that may contain added sugar.  To help in this regard, you should be aware of the many different names for sugar found on food labels:  

• sucrose
• fructose
• glucose
• maltose
• dextrose
• maltodextrin
• hydrolyzed starch
• invert sugar
• corn syrup
• honey
• cane sugar
• sugar beets
• high-fructose corn syrup
• maple sugar
• molasses
• evaporated cane juice

Here are eight foods to watch out for that you should limit the consumption of:

• Yogurt--Watch out for artificially-sweetened yogurts which may contain up to 32 g of sugar compared to only about 12 g of sugar in regular yogurts.  Recommendation:  Stick with Greek yogurt which naturally has less sugar due to the straining process.
• Tomato sauce--Most people eat about one cup of tomato sauce (about 24 g of sugar) when mixed with noodles.  This is twice the serving size of canned or bottled tomato sauce.  Recommendation: Restrict the amount of tomato sauce to 1/2 cup and mix with water to create more volume.
• Granola bars--Watch out for granola bars that indicate sugar listed within the top three ingredients.  A serving may have up to 22 g of sugar.  Recommendation:  Pay attention to the ingredients in granola bars.
• Fat-free salad dressing--Since fat provides more taste, when it is reduced manufacturers usually add more sugar to keep some taste.  A cup of fat-free French, Italian, and Thousand Island dressing may have 42 g, 20 g and 43 g of sugar, respectively.  Recommendation:  Be aware of the amount of fat-free salad dressing you put on your salad.  
• Muffins--Since muffin sizes have increased, the quantity of sugar has also increased from 16 to 32 g of sugar.  Recommendation:  Eat half of a muffin at a time.
• Canned fruit--Canned fruit are packed in sugar-laden syrup to preserve shelf life.  A light syrup, one-cup serving of canned peaches and pears may have 32 g and 30 g of sugar, respectively.  Recommendation:  Eat frozen fruit as an alternative to canned fruit and avoid the sweetened syrup.
• Smoothies--Commercially-prepared smoothies often contain added sugar high up in the ingredient list.  Popular brands may have anywhere from 38 g to over 100 g of sugar depending on the ingredients and size.  Recommendation:  Make your own smoothie with milk, protein powder and frozen fruit.
• Cereal--No surprise here.  Most cereals contain spoonfuls of sugar ranging from 11 g to over 20 g per serving.  No wonder kids nowadays are hyperactive!  Recommendation:  Stick to old-fashioned oatmeal and add raisins or blueberries for natural sweetness.

Brian Danley, CFT
"Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going."

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