Being aware of how many calories you consume is a great way to maintain your weight loss goals. The quality of calories also matters. For example, fruits are calorie-dense but they’re also nutritional. Reducing the amount of sugar you take is one way to ensure that the calories you consume aren’t empty. But it’s not effective to just remove white sugar from your diet. You need to also be aware of the hidden sugars in other foods.
The danger of hidden sugars
Refined sugars help beverages and snacks taste better but there are also hidden dangers. Research shows that hidden sugars can ruin cardiovascular health and increase the risk of diabetes. While you may not need to completely excise all sugar from your diet, it’s important to know hidden sources of sugar so that you know which foods or condiments to avoid or replace.
Adult men should have at most nine teaspoons or 36g of sugar daily while women should only have a maximum of six teaspoons or 25g. Staying within this limit can help improve heart health, and lower the risk of chronic illness. Many foods may seem like they don’t have a lot of sugar or it can be difficult to determine how much sugar is in each serving. For instance, two slices of white bread contain one teaspoon of sugar.
Hidden sources of sugars
When food is processed and sugar is added, these are known as refined sugars. Various products are notorious for the amounts of sugar they sneak into your diet. For instance, fast food chains add up to 10g of sugar in ketchup sachets. Looking at the list of ingredients can help you determine how much sugar you’ve consumed.
1. Ketchup
You can assume that ketchup only contains vinegar, tomato juice, spices, and a little sweetener. However, one tablespoon of ketchup contains one teaspoon of sugar. Try using sugar-free ketchup options or creating homemade ketchup using very ripe tomatoes. Most condiments such as sweet chilli sauce, mango chutney, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, or salad dressings contain hidden sugars as well.
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2. Honey
As a sweetener, honey is a much healthier option than white sugar. Darker variants contain antioxidants which reduce oxidative damage in cells. This leads to a decreased risk of chronic illness. However, it still contains three types of sugars. White sugar contains only sucrose. Honey contains fructose and glucose. 20g of honey contains 61 calories. One teaspoon of honey contains 6g of sugar.
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3. Energy bar
Nutrition bars are a great snack for people hiking or exercising. However, you may consider using them to replace meals. This may not be a good idea because they contain a lot of sugar. They may contain dried fruits, nuts, and granola. A well-made energy bar should contain at most 8g of sugar. However, many nutrition bars can contain up to 25g. Eating nutrition bars too frequently can increase the risk of diabetes.
4. Packed juice
One glass of juice from a juicer contains roughly eight teaspoons of sugar. Packaged fresh juice can contain even more sugar because it can be used as a preservative. Processed juice contains many more sugars because it’s meant to be diluted. When taking canned juices, they lack all major nutritional benefits such as fibre. If you’re feeling thirsty, opt for water or eat fresh fruits. Lifestyle: Blenders Vs Juicers – Pros And Cons Of Blending Vs Juicing
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5. Snacks
Sweet and salty snacks contain hidden sugars. Desserts and candies are known to have sugar. However, you may easily assume salty and savoury snacks don’t contain sugar. Salty crisps can contain hidden sugars from flavour additives such as corn syrup.
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6. Canned fruit
Canned fruits are a great option for long-term storage of fresh fruit. To prep the fruits for canning, they’re peeled, destoned, and sliced. They are then packaged in a solution that contains the fruit’s juice, water, syrups, and other additives. Depending on what the fruit is canned in, it will have more calories. If it’s canned in its juice or syrup, it will contain more sugars.
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7. Breakfast cereal
Cereals come in a wide variety. But even “healthier” options such as muesli will contain hidden sugars. Sweetened cereals that are colourful contain the highest amounts of sugar. Some cereals contain up to 20-55g of sugar. When eating these cereals, avoid adding sweeteners.
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8. Alcohol
If you’re on a sugar-free or low-sugar diet, it may be difficult to determine which alcohol is best to consume. Many breweries don’t display the sugar content on their products. Spirits and liquors don’t have the highest amounts of carbs. However, cocktails use sodas, sweeteners, juices, and liqueurs which have hidden sugars. Red and white wines have about 4g of sugar per glass. Dessert wines can have up to 8g of sugar. Beer is also full of carbs but not sugars. A glass of beer can have 12g of carbs but zero grams of sugar.
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9. Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a great source of pre and probiotics. These are gut bacteria that help boost immunity and digestive and mental health. However, flavoured yoghurt appears to be healthy. It doesn’t contain real fruits, only processed flavours. Low-fat yoghurt also has extra sugar to compensate for the lost fatty flavour. Plain yoghurt is the healthiest option if you’re on a low-sugar diet. You can sweeten it with healthy sugars such as fruits or honey.
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10. Bread
It’s well known that white bread is rich in sugars. 100g of bread contains 5g of sugar. However, even “healthier” bread options like brown bread can contain sweeteners. Flavoured bread that contains cinnamon raisins or dry fruit also contains hidden sugars. Processed brown bread may not be necessarily healthier than white bread.
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11. Coffee
Flavoured coffees contain hidden sugars. They can contain up to 11 teaspoons of sugar per serving. When taking coffee, don’t add syrups and flavours, perhaps stick to milk or water.
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12. Soup
Canned or powdered soup can contain lots of hidden sugars. Fresh soup is healthy. However, the premade soup contains additives to help with flavours and preservation. Veggie soups already contain sugars from the vegetables. But manufacturers will add corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose.
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13. Baked beans
This is a savoury meal made of white beans that are parboiled and then added to a suspension of tomato sauce, spices, vinegar, and sugars. Some also have molasses. One can of baked beans, about 250g, contains about 5g of sugar. Manufacturers make baked beans with low-sugar options. The Health And Nutritional Benefits Of Beans
Check out:
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