Nutrition > 5 Foods Unexpectedly High in Sugar
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5 Foods Unexpectedly High in Sugar

8th Jan 20

Sugar is something that we all get more than enough of. We all know that it’s not good for your health, your teeth, your energy… the list is pretty endless. It’s in just about everything that we eat too, which only makes matters worse. (although we already know some are better than others). Sometimes, however, they’re in things that we don’t know about too. There are a lot of supposedly healthy or harmless foods out there that are actually surprisingly full of the stuff, just waiting to add more sugar to our diet, even without us knowing.

It’s always avoidable, but the first step in making a healthier diet and removing some unneeded sugar is to find out who exactly these culprits are. Finding fake friends from the food groups and choosing the healthier alternatives is always the best way to bulletproof your diet and make sure that if you do want to eat more or less sugar, it’s actually a conscious choice and not just a marketing ploy.

Let’s look at some of the most wanted.


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Low Fat Yogurt & Milk

Yogurt and fruits

The first point to look at on our list of surprisingly high-sugar foods has to be yoghurt. These are some of the biggest culprits of being supposedly healthy, but in actual fact, they’re the total opposite. As soon as the fat content is reduced, in order to try and make up for lack of taste, the replacement is usually sadly sugar. Things like fruit yoghurts are also awful due to their combined mix in a lot of instances. Always make sure you’re checking the labels for these kinds of snacks, even if they’re supposed to be a good alternative! The same goes for a lot of non-dairy products, too, i.e. soy and almond milk. Keep on your toes!

Smoothies

Jars of smoothies

Smoothies, albeit absolutely full of vitamins and minerals most of the time, are sadly also another one to add to the list of sugary bad calls. They’re perfect for a good healthy treat, but if you’re trying to eat more healthy food on a regular basis and think these are the way forward, just make sure you’re paying attention. Think about how much sugar is in fruit, and then on top of that, how many different fruits are in there. It’s easy to go over the top with all the other foods you are eating a day.

Sauces

Lots of pots of sauces

This is a bit of a wildcard, and unless you eat lots of it, you’re probably pretty safe. Just in case, it’s still a good call to mention it anyway. If you want to avoid too much sugar from food, you might want to add a lot of unnecessary condiments to that list. Everything from ketchup and BBQ sauce to salad cream and mayo can be huge culprits of this. The reason they taste so strong is almost always because of the sugar content. If you have them often, they’re an easy way to go overboard without you even knowing about them. It’s easily avoidable.

Cereals

Several bowls of cereals

This is a lot easier to understand, but the problem here with the surprising sugar content is how hard to avoid it that it actually is. All of the cereals that you find on supermarket shelves are normally absolutely full of the stuff. The less healthy advertised cereals don’t try and hide it and are loaded with it, but so are many others. A lot of it is a mix of natural and unnatural sugars too, so it’s not always avoidable, but even things like granola and oats are a part of the problem. You need to be really vigilant.

White Bread

Slices of white bread

Number 5 of our unexpectedly sugary foods is sadly another part of daily life for most of us, and it’s white bread. Wholemeal bread is not nearly as bad, but in all fairness, it’s bread in general. White bread is the worst of the bunch, and it’s full of the stuff even without it tasting particularly sweet. Be careful with how much you go for, and try and switch to healthier alternatives if you can. It’s tough, we know, but you’re spoiled for choice.

So now you know. Don’t fall into the trap of hidden high-sugar foods, and always try and be as informed as you can. Sugar is one of the easiest ways to mismanage your weight, even when you think you are eating healthier. Try and stay as organic as possible, avoiding processed junk foods. If you make it yourself, you’re always in the know. Do what you can and eat fresh. Good luck!

Don’t forget to check out this NHS link for more info too!


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