Sugar can be a sweet poison when consumed in large quantities and can be detrimental to your health if consumed over a long period of time.
Excessive consumption of sugar may lead to weight gain and it is also bad for your teeth. Multiple studies show that people who eat a lot of sugar are at a much higher risk of getting cancer and Diabetes.
White processed sugars do not have nutrition or minerals, they are totally empty calories, which your body can turn into fat very easily when consumed in excessive amounts whether natural or processed.
Here is our list of top 5 foods that may have more sugar than you think –
- Salad Dressing: Yes, the same dressing that is endorsed as low fat has loads of sugar in it. Basically the fat is replaced with sugar. Be sure to always read the label and the ingredient list before you buy salad dressing for your healthy meal.
- Tomato Ketchup: This universal favourite food item is rich in sugar levels. Two tablespoons of ketchup contain 2 teaspoons of added sugar usually from high fructose corn syrup.
- Low fat flavoured Yogurt: All yogurts contain some sugar in the form of lactose (milk sugar). We need to watch out for the added sugar content in most of the flavoured yogurts. Prefer greek yogurts over the regular ones as they contain double the amount of protein and far less sugar.
- Dried fruit: Cranberries are originally one of the lowest sugar containing fruits, however most of the dried cranberries available in the market today are nothing less than a candy when it comes to the sugar content.
- Peanut butter: Our very own super healthy and protein rich peanut butter is next on our list with high sugar content. When buying peanut butter look out for the work “Natural” and also make sure that the ingredient list says “Dry roasted peanuts” and nothing else.
Conclusion:
There are many hidden sources of added sugar. Make sure to read the labels carefully to ensure that you’re not taking in more than the daily recommended amount which around 25gms of sugar set by American Heart Association for a 2000 calories diet.