Glucose Control

Six Food Products You’d Be Surprised Contain Added Sugar
You may be craving a grilled chicken sandwich so you find the leanest chicken and the freshest vegetables on the healthiest bun there is in the grocery store. So far, a healthy meal. But you decide, “What’s a grilled chicken sandwich without a little sauce? So, you give your bottle of BBQ sauce a couple of squeezes and eat your completed masterpiece. But while you’ve done as good of a job as you can to make that sandwich healthy, you forgot one thing: that BBQ sauce contains added sugar. So much for a healthy meal.
While it may not be surprising to you that so many of your favorite products in the grocery store aren’t as healthy as whole foods, you might not think that they’re the source of serious portions of added sugar to your daily intake. If you need to be careful of the amount of sugar you are consuming for health reasons, you should take a careful look at the nutrition facts on some of your favorite products. Luckily for you, UPGRAID has put together a list of six of the most common products in your pantry that contain added sugar.
Natural vs. Added Sugar: What’s the Difference
To put it simply, added sugar is any sugar that was added to the food at some point, while naturally occurring sugar is just inherently already in the food. Naturally occurring sugars are found naturally in foods such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). Added sugars include any sugars or caloric sweeteners that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation (such as putting sugar in your coffee or adding sugar to your cereal).
Six Food Products That May Surprise You
Which common foods in your pantry contain added sugars? Here’s a list of six of these food products that may surprise you….
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Ketchup
How much added sugar does 1 tablespoon of Ketchup contain?
What’s going on here?
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Salsa
How much added sugar does 1 cup of salsa contain?
What’s going on here?
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White Bread
How much added sugar is in one slice of white bread?
What’s going on here?
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Fat-Free Ranch Salad Dressing
How much added sugar is in one tablespoon of salad dressing?
What’s going on here?
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Canned Tomato Soup
How much added sugar is in one can of tomato soup?
What’s going on here?
- Sucrose
- Barley malt
- Dextrose
- Maltose
The higher up on the list an ingredient is, the higher its content in the product. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that when manufacturers list small amounts of different sugars, as that’s another sign the product could be high in total sugar.
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Low-Fat Yogurt
How much added sugar is in one cup of low-fat yogurt?
What’s going on here?
The Importance of Family History
Because of family history, you may be advised to watch your added sugar intake or simply, you may be trying to lose weight since added sugar turns into fat. Products with added sugars are foods that are processed, which means that there’s a decent chance other important nutrients could have been stripped out in the process of making the food sweeter and more desirable for consumers.
Not All Gloom and Doom
Although this may bum you out, don’t fret because there are ways to still enjoy these products or one’s like them while still enjoying a meal.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are other ways to enjoy these products or ones similar to them via healthy alternatives. When it comes to ketchup and salad dressing, look for sugar-free options. The healthiest salsa and tomato soup is always the homemade version made from fresh tomatoes and any other vegetables (or fruit) you’d like to use to zest it up. Next time you crave bread, try seven grain or whole wheat and if you’re a yogurt fan, give sugar-free yogurts like the Greek version a try.
Healthier options are always available so research the next time you’re looking to curb the added sugar intake with some of your favorite foods!