Step 2 ✅18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar and Can cause Insulin Resistance
18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar
It's bad for your body to eat too much sugar.
Many illnesses, like cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, are more likely to happen if you smoke.
A lot of people are trying to cut down on their sugar diet, but it's simple to forget how much you're actually eating.
One reason is that many foods, even ones you wouldn't normally think of as sweet, have sugars that you wouldn't even know about.
Even foods that are advertised as "light" or "low fat" often have more sugar than their regular versions.
The American Heart Association (AHA) says that women should not eat more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of extra sugar per day and men should not eat more than 9 teaspoons (37.5 grams).
These 18 drinks and foods have a lot more sugar than you might think.
1. Low fat yogurt
Yogurt can be very good for you. However, not all yogurt is the same.
Low-fat yogurts, like many other low-fat foods, have sugar added to them to make them taste better.
Like, a single cup (245 grams) of low-fat yogurt might have more than 45 grams of sugar, which is about 11 teaspoons. Men and women should not have more than this in a single cup of "healthy" yogurt every day.
It also doesn't look like low-fat yogurt is as good for you as full-fat yogurt.
Real, Greek, or full-fat yogurt is the best choice. Do not eat yogurt that has been put in sugar.
2. Barbecue (BBQ) sauce
BBQ sauce is great for meats and can also be used as a dip.
But about 9 grams of sugar can be found in 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of sauce. This is more than two teaspoons.
In fact, BBQ sauce may be mostly sugar, making up about 33% of its weight.
This can make it easy to eat a lot of sugar without trying to if you take a lot at once.
Check the labels and pick the sauce with the least amount of extra sugar to make sure you don't get too much. Do not forget to watch your amounts either.
3. Ketchup
Like BBQ sauce, ketchup is a very famous condiment around the world, but it often has a lot of sugar in it.
Be careful about how much ketchup you use, and keep in mind that a tablespoon of ketchup has almost a teaspoon of sugar.
4. Fruit juice
Fruit juice has some vitamins and minerals in it, just like whole fruit.
But even though these vitamins and minerals seem like a good choice, they have a lot of sugar and not much fiber.
A lot of fruit is needed to make one glass of fruit juice, so drinking juice has a lot more sugar than eating whole fruit. It's easy to eat a lot of sugar very quickly because of this.
Fruit juice can have as much sugar as a sweet drink like Coke. It's likely that the bad health effects strongly connected to sugary soda may also be connected to fruit drinks.
It's better to eat whole fruits and vegetables instead of fruit drinks.
5. Spaghetti sauce
Added sugars are often hidden in foods like spaghetti sauce that we don't even think of as sweet.
Since tomato sauces are naturally sweet, all spaghetti sauces will have some sugar in them.
But a lot of spaghetti sauces also have sugar added to them.
Making your own pasta sauce is the best way to be sure it doesn't have any extra sugar in it.
You should look for spaghetti sauce that doesn't have sugar on the label or has it very close to the bottom of the list if you have to buy it already made. This means it's not a very important ingredient.
6. Sports drinks
People who work out often mistake sports drinks for something healthy.
Sports drinks, on the other hand, are made to keep trained players hydrated and fuel them during long, hard workouts.
Because of this, they have a lot of added sugars that are quickly taken and used as fuel.
There are 198 calories and 37.9 grams of added sugar in a normal 20-ounce (591 mL) bottle of a sports drink. This is the same amount of sugar as 9.5 teaspoons.
Because of this, sports drinks are sugary drinks. For the same reason as pop and fruit juice, they may make you fat and cause metabolic disease.
If you're not a marathon runner or other top athlete, you should probably just drink water while you work out. For most of us, it's by far the best choice.
7. Chocolate milk
Chocolate milk is milk that has sugar added to it and cocoa powder added to it.
Milk is a very healthy drink on its own. Calcium and protein are just two of the many foods that are good for bone health here.
Even though chocolate milk has all the health benefits of milk, an 8-ounce (230 mL) glass has an extra 11.4 grams (2.9 teaspoons) of sugar added to it.
8. Granola
Granola is often sold as a healthy food that is low in fat, even though it has a lot of calories and sugar.
Oats are the main thing that go into granola. Plain rolled oats are a healthy breakfast because they have fiber, protein, fat, and carbs.
Granola, on the other hand, has oats that have been mixed with nuts and honey or other sweets, which makes it higher in sugar and calories.
In fact, 100 grams of granola has about 500 calories and 5 to 7 teaspoons of sugar.
If you like cereal, make your own or choose one with less sugar added. You don't have to pour a whole bowl; you can just sprinkle it on top of fruit or yogurt.
9. Flavored coffees
A lot of people like flavored coffee, but these drinks can have a shocking amount of sugar that you might not even know about.
A large sweetened coffee or coffee drink at some coffee shop chains can have at least 45 grams of sugar. That means each dish has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar.
Because sugary drinks are strongly linked to poor health, it's most likely best to stick to plain coffee without any syrups or extra sugar.
10. Iced tea
Most of the time, sugar or syrup is used to sweeten or taste iced tea.
Because it's popular all over the world in many shapes and flavors, the amount of sugar can change a little.
Most iced teas bought in stores have about 35 grams of sugar in a 12-ounce (340 mL) amount. It costs about the same as a Coke glass.
Pick plain tea or iced tea that doesn't have any extra sugar if you like tea.
11. Protein bars
People like to snack on protein bars.
Protein-rich foods have been linked to making you feel fuller, which can help you lose weight.
Because of this, some people think protein bars are a good snack.
There are some protein bars on the market that are better for you, but most of them have around 20 grams of extra sugar, which means they have about the same amount of nutrients as a candy bar.
Read the label on the protein bar you want to buy and stay away from ones that have a lot of sugar. You could also eat something high in protein, like yogurt.
12. Vitaminwater
Vitaminwater is sold as a healthy drink because it has extra minerals and vitamins in it.
Some "health drinks," like Vitaminwater, do have a lot of extra sugar, though.
In fact, an average bottle of Vitaminwater has about 100 calories and 30 grams of sugar (35, 36).
So, even though Vitaminwater is said to be good for you, it's best to stay away from it as much as possible.
You could choose Vitaminwater zero, which doesn't have any sugar in it. Instead, artificial sugars are used to make it.
Still, if you're thirsty, regular or sparkling water is a much better choice.
13. Premade soup
People don't usually think of soup as a food that has sugar in it.
It's a healthy choice when made with fresh, whole ingredients, and it can be an easy way to eat more vegetables.
There are naturally occurring sugars in vegetables that are found in soups. These sugars are safe to eat because they are generally present in small amounts and with many other healthy nutrients.
But a lot of freshly made soups have a lot of extra stuff in them, like sugar.
Take a look at the list of ingredients in your soup to see if it has any added sugars. You can find things like sucrose, barley malt, dextrose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and other syrups there.
The more of an item there is in a product, the higher up on the list it is. Keep an eye out for products that show small amounts of different sugars. This is another sign that the product might have a lot of sugar in it.
14. Breakfast cereal
A lot of people like cereal for breakfast because it's quick and easy.
But if you eat the same cereal every day, it could have a big effect on how much sugar you eat.
A lot of sugar is added to some breakfast foods, especially ones that are made for kids. Some have 12 grams of sugar, which is 3 teaspoons, in a small 34-gram (1.2-ounce) amount.
Make sure the cereal you buy has a lot of fiber and no extra sugar by reading the label.
Even better, get up a few minutes earlier and quickly make an egg-based, healthy breakfast. It can help you lose weight to eat protein for breakfast.
15. Cereal bars
Cereal bars may seem like a healthy and quick way to eat breakfast on the go.
But, like other "health bars," cereal bars are often really just candy bars that look like healthy foods. A lot of them are high in sugar and have very little fiber or protein.
16. Fruit in a can
Fruits all have sugars in them naturally. Some bottled fruit, on the other hand, is peeled and kept fresh in sugary syrup. This process takes away the fiber from the fruit and adds a lot of sugar to a snack that should be healthy.
Most nutrients are kept well during the canning process, but heat-sensitive vitamin C can be lost.
Fresh fruit that is whole is best. If you're going to eat canned fruit, make sure it was kept in juice instead of syrup. There is a little less sugar in juice.
17. Canned baked beans
Another tasty food that is often very high in sugar is baked beans.
About 5 teaspoons of sugar are in a cup (254 grams) of standard baked beans.
You can get baked beans with less sugar if you like them. Some of them have about half as much sugar as standard baked beans.
18. Premade smoothies
In the morning, making a smoothie with milk or yogurt and veggies can be a great way to start the day.
But not every drink is good for you.
A lot of smoothies sold in stores come in big amounts and can be made sweeter with fruit juice, ice cream, or syrup. This makes them have more sugar in them.
Some of them have ridiculously high amounts of sugar and calories. A 16- or 20-ounce dose has over 54 grams (13.5 teaspoons) of sugar.
If you want a healthy shake, check the list of ingredients and watch how much you drink.