Did you know that the hidden sugars in our diet can be a health hazard for everyone, not just people with diabetes? 80 percent of packaged foods have added sugar, and there are many ‘hidden’ sugars in or added to our everyday meals such as added savory sauces, salad dressings and dessert toppings that we don’t even consider as part of our calorie count or sugar quota. If 21 percent of your daily calories comes from added sugars; your risk of early death is double that of a person  who has just 10 percent of daily calories from added sugars (1). High sugar consumption is linked to several health issues currently being studied (2).

So, when it comes to the ingredients in your kitchen pantry, awareness is the key to reducing your hidden sugar consumption.

Let’s open the kitchen pantry and scan the ingredients list to see where the hidden culprits are!

1. Breakfast Bars
With great packaging and labeling, breakfast bars can be made to “sound” very healthy. Unfortunately, what you may be consuming can be a highly processed “cookie” with some added vitamins thrown in to make the item appear healthy. Always look at the ingredients list. Find a bar with the least amount of ingredients and less than 9 grams of added sugars. The lower, the better. You will be pleasantly surprised that flavor is not always defined by higher sugar content.

2. Sauces
A good sauce seems to make everything taste better! That is often because of lot of added sugars. Barbecue sauce and ketchup are some of the main culprits. Be wary of fruit flavored meats in restaurants such as orange chicken. This tasty meal is very often composed of a large amount of added sugars baked into the chicken or duck and added to the sauce.

3. Juices
Juices are a favorite breakfast beverage, but often come with added sugars as well. It is best to enjoy a piece of fruit instead which also includes extra fiber.
(Keep in mind that dried fruits such as dried cranberries which are often found in “healthy” salad blends, can pack up to 29g of sugar in just 1/4c cup!!)

4. Breads
Bread is a favorite food and we generally don’t expect it to have added sugars, especially wheat bread. But to make bread tastier, bakeries often add sugar to their recipe. Check your labels!

5. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. Many brands are high in added sugars; look for natural products with low sugar.

The Lesson: Read your labels carefully so you can choose wisely. The products’ list of ingredients starts with the most added as the first ingredient. If sugar is included within the first few ingredients, it may not be a great choice and you can probably find an alternative with less sugar. In 2021, food labeling will change to make it easier to spot added sugars, since sugar as an ingredient can have many forms and may not say sugar – but can say fructose, lactose etc. (3)

Hope you enjoy the above short training on seeking out added sugars in your diet!

  1. Quanhe Yang et al. “Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults”. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516-524.
  2. E. Martinez Steele et al. “Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study” .BMJ Open. 2016; 6 (3)
  3. https://www.fda.gov/food/ food-labeling-nutrition/changes-nutrition-facts-label

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