Popular health foods such as honey, granola bars, and yogurt might sound healthy enough, but be warned – they all still contain sugar. Having too much is just as bad for you as eating the unhealthy snacks that also contain sugar.
Sugar is associated with many diseases and health issues including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease – so it is definitely something you should be careful not to consume too much of.
Here are some of the most popular health foods you need to be especially careful about:
Be sure to read the labels! Some brands of yogurt contain up to 20 grams of added sugar in a single serving. Look for yogurts that contain around 7 grams of natural sugar (lactose) and be aware the remaining sugar content is added sugar.
Greek yogurt is an excellent yogurt choice as it is normally loaded with calcium, protein, vitamin D and probiotics. Read our article on probiotics and find out how to spot yogurts that contain them and why you need them.
Retail sales of granola and protein bars are expected to hit $4.34 billion in 2019, but people aren’t quite getting what they might expect, since a lot of these yogurts are actually packed with sugar. Although they tend to have a few nutrients, you may be getting a ton of unwanted sugars along with those.
Try fresh fruits, nuts or air-popped popcorn as a good substitute to help you stay away from sugar that may be hidden in some healthy foods – at least you’d have a better idea of what you’re putting into your body that way.
You can turn a perfectly healthy meal into a sugar-packed entrée or snack by choosing the wrong sauces or dressings. Sugar is one of the main components in many dressings, teriyaki, barbecue sauces, and marinaras, so read the labels carefully to keep your meal healthy. Consider substitutes such as herb-based oils, horseradish, and plain mustard.
Salad dressings are one of the worst offenders that contain hidden sugar! Dressings like raspberry and honey vinaigrette have as much, if not more sugar than even candy. Keep your salad healthy and stick to the actual serving sizes.
There are many foods out there that contain not-so-obvious sugars, so make sure to check the labels so you know what to look out for. Most importantly, avoid foods that have sugar, fructose, dextrose, brown rice syrup and molasses as one of their first few ingredients.
Just remember to check the labels, stick to serving sizes and consider healthier alternatives in order to keep your diet low in added sugar.
