I’m feeling good on day four of going without sugar for two weeks. It’s been fairly simple so far, and I’ve referenced nutrition panels quite a bit just to be 100% positive I am not taking in any added sugars. I recently discussed added sugars and how they are worst kind of sugar for your diet and not always easy to spot. Today I went down a rabbit hole of looking for where added sugars exist in many people’s diets, and I have to say, some of the answers are surprising. When I look back at this list, it was obvious to me that I was eating more sugar than I originally thought.
Make sure to read Added Sugars and What You Must Know if you need a quick refresh on added sugars.
Finding Added Sugars in your Diet
There are some items in our diet which have obvious added sugars. I pointed to soda and mixed drinks while talking about the sugar content in rum yesterday. That’s an obvious one, and for me, the easiest to part ways with.
What I’m looking to find out is the hidden added sugars – the one’s you most likely didn’t think of that you quite possibly consume regularly. After some research, here is what I came up with.
Weight Loss Gummies
Yes, something designed to help me lose weight actually had a few grams of sugar in it. This stunned me, but when I thought about how I look forward to these delicious gummies every morning, it made sense.
Sugar Free Weight Loss Gummies – – – > Lowest Price on Amazon.
Condiments in Food
I’m a big fan of chicken wings (who isn’t?) and a source of a lot of sugar can come from the sauce used to coat the wings. Think of flavors like honey bbq, honey mustard, and teriyaki. All of these have a lot of added sugars to come up with the tasty end result.
Another culprit is something I actually miss a lot – ketchup! One tablespoon has about four grams of sugar. Barbecue sauces can tend to be almost double that!
Sugar Free Alternatives on Amazon: —> Heinz Sugar Free Ketchup
Breakfast Cereal
Another one that I don’t eat, as I’m either intermittent fasting and miss breakfast, eating oats, or fruits instead. Cereal, especially the ones you think of that are marketed towards children, are LOADED with added sugars. I just took a peak at a bag of granola I’d been eating because I thought it was healthy. Boy was I wrong! 14 grams of sugar, and this was a Whole Foods product, so I figured it was safe to eat.
Sugar Free Alternatives on Amazon: —> View Sugar Free Cereal Options
Yogurt
Stick to plain yogurt and you’ll most likely stay sugar-free, but go to any flavored yogurt and you can throw all that out the window. Even a yogurt low in fat can be loaded in added sugars. Read the labels carefully.
Sugar Free Alternatives on Amazon: —> Chobani Zero Sugar
Salad Dressing
This one was obvious to me, but when you think of eating a salad, you automatically think you are making a smart food choice. However, this can be totally ruined if you drizzle your salad with heaps of the wrong salad dress.
Which kinds of salad dressing are unhealthy, you ask?
The best ones! French dressing, Catalina, and although at a much lesser clip – ranch dressing all contain sugar.
Sugar Free Alternatives on Amazon: —> View A List of Sugar Free Salad Dressings
Granola Bars
Another one that most people will think are healthy, granola bars can be loaded with added sugars. If your granola has chocolate chips in it, you already know this. However, most of them use stuff like corn syrup, brown sugar, and other added sugars, and when you combine all of those, your healthy treat only goes so far.
Sugar Free Alternatives on Amazon: —> View A List of Sugar Free Granola Bars
Dried Fruit
Fruit is great for you, as this is all natural sugar that you can safely consume. However, when you get the dried variety, many manufacturers will sweeten the deal by adding sugar to the mix. For example, dried cranberries can have up to 26 grams of sugar per serving, which is a measly 1/4 cup!
Best Alternative —> Sugar Free Dried Blueberries
Snacks Labeled as “Low Fat”
The terms “low fat,” and “heart healthy,” always demand a closer look. As a marketer, I know often find loopholes and trigger words that can bring people’s eyes to whatever I’m advertising. However, you should know that when you spy a super deal on a “low fat” snack, the treat may be lower in fat when compared to it’s original version, but as a substitute to create flavor, added sugars are included in the recipe. Protein bars and cereal bars are often involved in this category.
Hopefully you find my sugar free alternatives helpful. If you liked this article, please share it on social media.
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