Foods full of hidden sugars
Following on from previous posts about the impact of a high sugar diet and sugary foods, we’ve pulled together a list of foods that look like they should be good for you but contain a dangerous amount of hidden sugars.There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re eating a healthy and well balanced diet only to find that the superfood smoothie you’re happily sipping away at is full of sugar.So what are the worst culprits and the foods that warrant a closer look?Here’s 5 to give you food for thought…
- Yogurts
Nothing beats a nice fruit yogurt for breakfast right? It’s a healthy way to start the day. Apart from the average fruit yogurt contains 17 grams of sugar which is more than half of your recommended daily amount. As an alternative, go for a natural Greek yogurt and add fruit to it.
- Smoothies
Smoothies are even worse than yogurts with the average smoothie containing 24 grams of sugar per serving. Even making homemade smoothies, while better than shop bought ones, still strips the fruit of all it’s fibre. It’s much better to eat fruit whole and limit the amount smoothies you drink.
- Snack bars
Snack bars have always seemed like a healthy alternative to a chocolate bar but more often than not are chock full of artificial sweeteners and sugar. A handful of raw mixed nuts make for a much healthier alternative.
- Salad dressing
Salad dressing is one of the easiest things to make from scratch. All you really need is oil and vinegar to make a salad tasty. Ready made dressing is one of the worst hidden sugar culprits.
- Bread
Even shop-bought bread is on the act with some containing as much as 10 teaspoons of sugar in a two-slice serving. Fresh bread tends to be much better but then again so is finding alternatives to bread and bulking up your diet with more fresh vegetables.It’s not always possible to make every meal from scratch but do check the labels when you’re shopping to get a better idea of how much sugar you’re consuming. Reducing sugar will improve your oral health and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes.