Healthy Food Full of Hidden Sugar
By Sara Butler
As long as you’re not having candy for breakfast, you may think you’ve got this whole “sugar intake” thing under control. As you may know, eating too much sugar in your diet isn’t good for you. The problem is that sugar is hiding everywhere -- and often in places you least expect. In fact, hidden sugars abound in foods that are often considered healthy foods by many. Here are some of the worst offenders you should be on the lookout for.
Granola
Granola just conjures images of goodness. After all, it’s full of seeds, nuts, and oats, so it can’t be that bad. Right? Wrong.
The truth is that the base ingredients in granola really aren’t that bad for you, it’s the additions. To make sure you’re not getting more sugar than you bargained for, look at the nutrition label to look for sugar under another name, such as:
- Evaporated cane juice
- Corn syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Molasses
- Rice malt syrup
Also look at the serving size. The nutrition label may say that the granola only has 7 grams of sugar, but that could easily be a very small serving size.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a great source of protein, but if you’re buying flavored yogurt, then you’re definitely getting more than you bargained for. Flavored yogurts and fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts often have added sugar. Don’t assume that light yogurt is any better since the fat is often replaced with sugar to make it palatable.
If you want yogurt to be a healthy part of your day, then choose plain Greek yogurt that you add your own fresh fruit into with a dash of honey.
Bread
You may not be shocked to learn that some breads are high in sugar, but there may be more breads than you think. Sure, bread with fruit or other sweet add-ins usually have sugar, but so do multigrain and whole wheat varieties.
Be on the lookout for sneaky sugars in your bread. High fructose corn syrup, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, and evaporated cane juice are just some of the additions that add sugar in as well. Buy bread that has the fewest ingredients you can find. Or better yet -- make your own!
Sugar is sneaky, so stay diligent to keep too much of it out of your diet.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Des Peres, Mo.