Foods with a Day's Worth of Sugar
By Sara Butler
It’s common knowledge that things such as candy and soda are loaded with sugar. But sugar is a sneaky thing and hides in a lot of places you may not suspect. In fact, you could max out your daily sugar intake with just one muffin or even a fast-food yogurt parfait. Here are a few things you should pay attention to because they can drive your daily sugar train right off the tracks!
How Much Sugar?
According to the American Heart Association, you should have about 24 grams of sugar per day. That’s the equivalent of about six teaspoons -- so it’s not a whole lot when you think about just how much sugar is loaded in some foods.
Lemonade
Lemonade is tart and refreshing, and some people may think it’s even a healthy alternative to soda because, well, lemons! While it’s certainly true that lemons are good for you (they’re packed with Vitamin C, after all) they need sugar to make them more palatable and that sugar adds up fast. In most lemonades, there’s around 30 grams of sugar in one bottle.
Tomato Soup
Tomato soup -- yes, tomato soup -- is a sugar-laden bomb. Most people don’t think of it as sweet, but if you check out the label you’ll probably find that one of the first ingredients is some form of sugar, usually high fructose corn syrup. One can of tomato soup can have about 30 grams of sugar. If you have just one serving of soup, it’s about 12 grams, but who has just one serving? Your best bet is to make a homemade veggie soup.
Cereal
Some cereals are easy to spot as sugary, but there are some that have a reputation of being healthy that are really anything but. Some cereals have as much as 16 grams of sugar in one serving (which is usually less than a cup). If you have more than that, then you can easily go way over your sugar allowance for the day. Always make sure you look at nutrition labels to make sure you’re not getting a hidden sugar bomb. If you still want your favorite cereal, simply use a little sprinkling on top of plain Greek yogurt in the morning.
Sugar is hiding everywhere, so make sure you're checking the nutrition labels in order to make good choices! Don't let sugar sneak into your diet.
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