Don't Be Tricked-Know These Six Foods With Hidden Sugars

As most of you know who read this blog-I love sweets. If it has sugar in it you can pretty much guarantee that I like it. I generally do try to keep my known sugar foods low so that my body does not raise its insulin levels and make my body start storing fat but what about those unknown foods where the food industry hides sugar? This is where things can get very tricky because although you may think you are being healthy and cutting back on your sugar intake you are in fact being sabotaged with foods with hidden sugar in them. I mean come on, if I am going to indulge in sugar I want it to be in chocolate (of course), cake, cookies-you get the picture-not some boring food that I think that I am being healthy and eating. Below are a few areas to keep an eye on if you are trying to cut down on sugar. By the way, did you know that the average American eats approximately 1,500 pounds of food every year and of that, 160 pounds are primarily sugar? Uh oh.

6 Foods That Have Hidden Sugars

1. Spaghetti sauce. A half cup of store bought sauce can contain as many as three teaspoons of corn syrup or sugar. Some of the sugar is naturally occurring from the tomatoes or other vegetables but most is added. I recommend making your own sauce or looking for the brands that don’t include sugar.

2. Ketchup. Ketchup (which tops the list of things I do not like to eat or see) can be 20 percent sugar or more. Not to mention that you’ll get 7 percent of your daily sodium allowance in one tablespoon. Look for low-salt, no-sugar, brands.

3. Reduced-fat cookies. Most brands of cookies now offer a reduced-fat version of their product. But while you are thinking that you are choosing a healthier low fat version, check the label. Those sneaky food manufacturers may have taken out the fat, but they replaced it with sugar. Many times, the reduced-fat cookie is only slightly less caloric than the one you want to eat. And because there is no fat to make you feel full, you’ll be tempted to eat more “guilt-free cookies”.

4. Bread. Most processed breads, especially white hamburger and hot dog buns, can contain a good bit of sugar or corn syrup. That is what gives them the golden brown crust. Try getting your bread at a real bakery or farmers market (I love the farmers market).

5. Low-fat salad dressing. Okay, this is where I get in trouble as I eat a salad almost everyday with this low fat stuff on it. Like the cookies, manufacturers have taken the fat out of the dressing, but they have added extra salt and sugar to make up for it. Check the label to make sure that you are not replacing heart healthy olive oil with diabetes-causing sugar. Make your own vinaigrette's using a small amount of olive oil, a gourmet vinegar or fresh lemon juice and herbs.

6. Fast food. I rarely if ever eat fast food and here is another great reason to at least cut back if you are a fast food lover. Everything from the burgers to the fries to the salads is a potential place to hide sugar. Check out the ingredients carefully before you make your choices.

Reference information www.beachbody.com

25 comments:

  1. My sister told me ketchup had a lot of sugar in it, no wonder my kids like ketchup on everything.

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  2. Another great post! No wonder the spaghetti tastes so good - it's the sugar in the sauce! Reduced fat cookies are just a trick to get you to buy. If they still taste so good, chances are there are added sugars in them. Oh, eating fast food is the fastest way to get fat and easiest route to be a diabetic.

    If only sugar is healthy, then it'll be really great for sweet tooths like us! Then we'll be eating cakes, cookies, chocolates and ice cream daily. Haha!

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  3. These are excellent tips.

    Awards for you over at Kitchen Retro, please excuse any duplicates! :)

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  4. What a list of disappointments! I will need to pay closer attention...thanks for this!

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  5. my kids love ketchup too and like tammy's they put ketchup on everything ;) great post heidi ;)

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  6. Great info as usual. Thank you for giving the heads up on hidden sugar.

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  7. Great tips Heidi!! Most people probably don't think of ketchup, spaghetti sauce or low fat items as containing hidden sugars!
    Surprise!!!
    Cheers

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  8. Well my boyfriend gets eczema brought on by sugar amongst other things. I had no idea, but practically EVERYTHING you buy ready-made has sugar in it. It really is crazy, and I know from cutting it out of a lot of recipes that it just doesn't need to be there. Thanks for the post, I think this is something a lot of people don't realise

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  9. Excellent tips! I had heard about sugar in spaghetti sauce and ketchup but didn't know about the others - or if I did I forgot! Thanks for the reminder!

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  10. YOur post is why it is so important to read the labels.

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  11. Hi Heidi,
    Thanks for keeping us informed on the hidden sugars in these foods. I will have to cut back on some of these. I will have to pay more close attention to the food labels for now on. Have a peaceful week! :-)

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  12. you're very right, if i am going to indulge in sugar, it will be in ice cream, chocolate and cakes :) oh, i am so guilty always about eating these.

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  13. Fabulous POST! Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are our enemies. They will age us, promote cancer, and possibly cause a plethora of other ailments. Anything that is reduced fat, usually has a boat load of sugar in it, to make it taste better. I used to eat SnackWells and think it was a good thing! YIKES!

    Heidi, you always find the best info for us!

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  14. Hi Heidi,

    I really enjoy your blog. I watched an author named Christopher Flett on the Today Show, he wrote a book called "What Men Don't Tell Women About Business" and it shares secrets for women working in business. I thought you might enjoy hearing about him. There could be some great content in their for future posts.

    Keep up the great work.

    Sincerely,

    Bihter

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  15. OMG...as much as I love it...spaghetti sauce is not your friend when it comes to the sugar. Thanks for reminding us about these foods.

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  16. Ouch, what a painful article, but in a good way. Guess what I am having for lunch: spaghetti! Do you think you could come up with some good recipes for sugar free sauce?

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  17. I do the olive oil and lemon juice thing when it comes to the salad dressing. Never did like the creamy stuff, anyway! ;)

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  18. how on earth that all those pick food are my favorite..huhuhu no doubt i still have bloated tummy..hehehe another point to learn!:)


    by the way, m done the award..sorry for the delayed just my pc is getting so slow that i can't upload it would hang up the moment i submit..huhuh

    anyway, have a great day!:)

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  19. Oh boy. I really need a menu overhaul. We've had spaghetti sauce twice this week already. Not to mention fast food with ketchup and bread. Oy.

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  20. Hidden Sugar?. Thank's God, I'm not consume those food.

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  21. Wanna be:

    Wow, you are so right. It's very difficult to get away from sugar. It's in everything. One time about ten years ago my sister decided to not eat anything made with sugar. It was a real task to say the least. But she did it, and she actually lost a lot of weight. She got down right skinny. All by eliminating sugar!

    Happy trails.

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  22. Great post Heidi, you always know how to pick daily weight-loss challenges and put a readable, fun spin on things.

    Btw, MSG is another sneaky one in foods like soup and instant ramen. I think it makes you very thirsty for sweet drinks afterwards, too.

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  23. This is a great post!
    Not everyone is aware that even these type of food contains sugar! Only fat, you know.

    Very good that you inform people about this!

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  24. Good post Heidi. A lot of people are completely oblivious to how much sugar white bread contains.

    Low-fat products are another prime example of clever marketing. Yes the low-fat claim is true but they forget to tell you that this fat is often replaced with lots of sugar.

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  25. what a list full of surprises!! those sneaky, hidden sugary things!! how dare they fool us.

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