Even the most diet conscious person may be surprised at the sugar content in foods. It's found in obvious places and hidden in plain sight. Since sugar has several aliases, it's hard to know exactly where it's lurking in the grocery store aisles.
Where Is the Sugar?
Healthy eaters often attempt to go the no-sugar or low-sugar route as they count calories, but they sometimes overlook common foods that also contain high levels of sugar. Reading labels can help you determine if sugar is in a particular food. In addition to the word "sugar" and the common term "sucrose," there are several other ingredients to watch out for on a food label including:
Dextrose
Fructose
Glucose
Lactose
Maltose
Don't forget to look for other sugar products, such as:
Corn syrup
Malt syrup
Molasses
Beet sugar
Agave
Rice syrup
Cane sugar
Caramel
Maple syrup
Sorghum
Honey
Sugar Alcohols
While you might be familiar with traditional forms of sugars, you may not know about sugar alcohols which are found in many breath mints, chewing gums, and products marketed as "low-carb" or "sugar free." According to Yale New-Haven Hospital, sugar alcohols are a naturally occurring sweetener that are lower in calories than sugar and converted to glucose in the body at a slower pace. They are chemically similar to alcohol but do not contain ethanol and do not have the same effects as alcohol on the body.
Some people are sensitive to sugar alcohols and experience stomach pain, bloating, and/or diarrhea.
Common sugar alcohols include:
Maltitol
Mannitol
Sorbitol
Xylitol
Reading the Labels
If you're trying to avoid sugar, it's important that you read food labels. Food labels are required to list a product's ingredients and nutritional values. This includes listing sugar and sugar alcohol grams per serving. If you're concerned about eating too much sugar, here are a few things to look out for:
Be sure to look for sugar and all of its forms in the ingredient list. And remember, the earlier an ingredient is listed in the list, the higher its content in the product. To make it simple for you as you read food labels, be aware that words which end in "ose" or "ol" typically indicate some type of sugar products.
Read how many sugar grams per serving are in the product. Keep in mind that one teaspoon of white sugar equals approximately four grams. Use that formula to help you figure out how many teaspoons of sugar you're eating. The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than six teaspoons of sugar each day. Yet a 12 ounce can of cola has 33 grams of sugar - that's over eight teaspoons of sugar. If you drink just one can per day, you've already exceeded the recommended daily limit.
Read serving sizes. Some products have more than one serving size in a package. Do the math to figure out exactly how much sugar there is in each serving.
"Sugar Free" means the product has less than .5 grams of sugar per serving. If you eat more than one serving, the sugar grams add up.
"No Added Sugar" means that no sugar has been added to the product but it may still contain natural sugars as is the case of products containing fruit.
"Reduced Sugar" means that the product may contain 25% less sugar than it usually would.
The words "Unsweetened" and "No Added Sweeteners" do not apply to sugar alcohols.
The FDA's new proposed nutrition label includes "Added Sugars" on the label. This will help consumers determine how much sugar is naturally occurring in a product and how much is added.
Surprising High Sugar Content Foods
Sugar is everywhere, even in so-called "healthy" foods. And fast food and chain restaurants are notorious for serving high-sugar foods. Following is a chart that lists common foods and beverages and their sugar content.
In addition to the above, there are other foods you might not consider when thinking of foods high in sugar. These include:
Barbecue sauce
Cranberry juice
Juice boxes
Peanut butter
Salad dressings
Teriyaki sauce
Canned fruits and vegetables
Granola and cereal bars
Bread
Pie crusts
French fries
Dried fruits
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fruit leather
Baby and Toddler Foods
With childhood obesity such a major issue in this country, you'd think foods created for kids would be low in sugar, but that's not the case. In fact, despite The American Heart Association recommendation that children ages four to eight get no more than three teaspoons of sugar each day, they often consume much more.
Numerous websites list the sugar content in foods, and these websites can be quite helpful as you plan your daily diet plan.
USDA-This is probably the most comprehensive and accurate site on the Web. This PDF file breaks down foods into groups and then gives the sugar content of each food. Each food lists the carbohydrates, total sugars, and added sugars. If you want to continue referring to this list, consider printing it out and posting it in your kitchen.
Tips for Keeping Sugar Intake Low
There are steps you can take to reduce your sugar intake. Here are some to consider:
Always read food labels and serving sizes carefully.
Eat whole fruits whenever possible. Eating the whole fruit instead of fruit juice or dried fruit (which often has added sugar and removes healthy fiber) can drastically cut your sugar intake.
Avoid processed foods as much as possible including cookies, snack cakes, and flavored chips.
Eat fresh vegetables instead of canned.
Eliminate or drastically cut back on the number of sugary beverages you consume including sodas, sports drinks, fruit juice and sweetened teas. Replace them with unsweetened tea or coffee, plain water, or water flavored with fresh fruit slices.
Dress salads with olive oil and lemon or a dash of vinegar instead of a high-sugar salad dressing.
Cook at home as much as possible instead of eating out. If you do make a fast food run, check out the nutrition data on the restaurant's website first to find the healthiest option.
Finally, remember that typically "low-sugar content" doesn't necessarily mean that a food is low in calories. Low sugar content is relative. Instead of looking at descriptive words, pay attention to exact content numbers on food labels.
Less Sugar
Because sugar plays such a prominent role in the foods you eat, it may seem like a losing battle to reduce your sugar intake. But, ultimately, you are in control of what you buy and what you consume. While it's true that foods high in sugar greatly outnumber their low sugar counterparts, if you spend time educating yourself about what's in your food, carefully read food labels, eat whole food as much as possible, and cut back on processed food and sugary beverages, you'll lessen the amount of sugar in your diet.
