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It’s no mystery that Americans like their food sweet. There is sugar in almost everything, even savory items like pasta sauces, salad dressings, and sliced bread. Over 75% of Americans eat excess amounts of sugar, which can be seen in the large number of people in our country suffering from high blood pressure, inflammation, and diabetes. Having too much sugar in your diet could put you at risk of life threatening conditions. There are certain foods that are traditionally higher in sugar than others and worth avoiding when possible. How do you know what foods to watch out for so that you can feel your best and live longer?
White Bread
There are many different types of bread, but white bread is a very popular one for sandwiches and toast. However, white bread is made from extremely processed white flour, which has a lot of negative effects on the body. "White sandwich bread is a refined grain, not a whole grain. When eaten as is, it has a high glycemic index and can directly lead to elevated blood-sugar levels." Lori Zanini, RD, CDE told Eat This, Not That. Instead, try whole grain or sourdough bread to avoid the blood sugar spike and dangerous preservatives.
Juice
Although made from fruit which has lots of nutritious properties when eaten whole, juice often has extra sugar added in the extraction process that causes its fruity base to lose its health benefits. “It is important to know the difference between natural and added sugars. Natural sugars, such as fruit, provide nutritional value, whereas added sugars are metabolized faster and do not contain any nutritional benefit.” Phene Wardlaw, ISSA-CPT, founding partner of Unity Wellness told SheFinds. Focus on getting in your daily fruit servings through eating it whole, and if you want a beverage to spice things up when water gets too dull, try flavored soda water, or club soda with fruit mixed in.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit has high sugar for a similar reason as juice. Dried fruit is made by taking raw fruit and removing all the water. When this process occurs, all the sugar and calories are concentrated into a much smaller quantity, meaning that a handful of fruit has exponential amounts of sugar than the same serving size of raw fruit. Dried fruit can be tricky because it is easy to eat a lot of it without realizing how much sugar you’re actually getting. It’s better to eat fruit raw when snacking to avoid excess sugar.
Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt has a number of health benefits--from protein to calcium to probiotics, eating yogurt benefits everything from your bones to your gut. But, many pre packaged flavored yogurts have extra added sugar that may cancel out any health benefits it holds. Instead, try plain yogurt with berries mixed in to maximize the benefit and avoid the additives.
The key to leading a healthy lifestyle is balance. It is possible to enjoy sweet treats and achieve your fitness goals. However, there are some foods, specifically ultra processed ones, that have exorbitant amounts of sugar that could have dangerous effects should they be eaten in large amounts. Knowledge is power, and knowing how much sugar is in the foods you eat is the first step in leading a healthy lifestyle.
