Candy and sodas are loaded with sugar, and we all know this, but there are a lot of foods that you probably never would have guessed that are also packed with sugar.
Light Salad Dressings
It might seem like a smart and healthy choice to be eating a salad and opting for a light salad dressing, but often these dressings are loaded with sugar and sodium. An alternative? Rather make your own than buying a prepackaged dressing.
Flavored Fat-Free Yogurt
There's a myth about fat-free food being good for you, and a lot of people fall into this trap. The problem with these flavored fat-free yogurts is they are often packed with sugar. In fact, according to Shape magazine, many of these yogurts have 15 grams of sugar or more in one 6-ounce serving!
Fruit Juices
It may seem like a healthier alternative to soda, right? And we all know that fruit is good for us, so it seems logical that fruit juice is too. Not so! Fruit juices are high in calories and packed with sugar.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit and nuts are a great post-workout snack, but you need to control your portion size because dried fruits are also high in sugar. Be sure to read the nutrition label on the packaging so you know how much sugar is in one portion.
Bottled Smoothies
Homemade smoothies are great because you know exactly what you're putting into them, but when you buy already packaged smoothies you should always check the sugar content because some brands like to sweeten their products with fruit juice concentrates — which are super high in sugar.
Tomato Ketchup
It's delicious on fries and burgers, but tomato ketchup contains high fructose corn syrup.
BBQ Sauce
Much like tomato ketchup, BBQ sauce makes for a great addition to our meals, or a delicious marinade, but two tablespoons of it reportedly have 14 grams of sugar. And in some sauces around 40 percent of it is made up of pure sugar!
Granola
Thanks to clever marketing, granola seems like a great healthy breakfast option, the sad reality is that these cereals are usually high in both sugar and calories. A smart alternative would be to make your own, or again, pay close attention to the nutritional values on the label.
[Image via Shutterstock]
