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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Ten Surprisingly Sugary Foods
  • Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:05:00 -0700


Ten Surprisingly Sugary Foods
http://www.ecosalon.com/high-sugar-foods/

My New Year’s resolution? When the clock struck midnight, I vowed to cut my
sugar intake by eliminating sweet treats like cookies, chocolate, and soda
from my diet.

On the first day of 2010, I ate strawberry yogurt for breakfast, snacked on a
granola bar before lunch, sipped on vitamin water, and enjoyed a savory
serving of pasta for dinner. At the end of the day, I was feeling pretty good
about my fresh start. That is, until I read the labels. As it turns out, I
had consumed almost 100 grams of sugar (more than twice the recommended daily
amount) in this so-called attempt at eating healthier.

This whole debacle prompted me to do some research on sugar-packed snacks
that masquerade as health foods. Here are the most deceiving culprits:

1. Breakfast Bars
Sure, they may have less sugar than a glazed doughnut, but breakfast bars
aren’t nearly as healthy as you may think. Nature Valley’s Vanilla Yogurt
Granola Bars and Nutri-Grain’s Cereal Bars cram 13 grams of sugar into a
single serving. Being organic doesn’t make Health Valley’s Cereal Bars any
better; they’ll even get you one gram closer to your daily sugar limit.

2. Vitamin Water
A bottle of vitamin water fuels your body with much more than just a dose of
nutrients. That burst of energy you feel upon taking the last sip is just a
sugar high in disguise. A 20-ounce bottle of Glaceu’s Vitamin Water or
Snapple’s Antioxidant Water contains more than 30 grams of sugar. Take some
vitamins and drink a glass of water, instead.

3. Cereal
Every time you walk down the cereal aisle, you say “no” to Tony the Tiger and
refuse to go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. But even cereals that trade in a
colorful mascot for wholesome claims can pack one sugary punch. Take Kellog’s
Smart Start Strong Heart cereal. Despite its misleading name, one cup
contains a whopping 14 grams of sugar.

4. Spaghetti Sauce
Just because you don’t taste the sweetness doesn’t mean there isn’t sugar
lurking somewhere beneath the maters. Believe it or not, there are 14 grams
of sugar in a half-cup of Newman’s Own Tomato and Basil Sauce and Bertolli’s
Vineyard Marinara. Mama Mia!

5. Bran Muffins
You choke down every last bite of a bland bran muffin with your morning
coffee and pat yourself on the back for making your fiber quota. Whoa there!
Don’t be so quick to equate lack of flavor with nutritional value. There are
over 20 grams of sugar in a bran muffin from Starbucks, and those from your
local grocer probably aren’t very far behind.

6. Dried Fruit
Fruit is already naturally sweet, so why would dried fruit contain an excess
of added sugar? Don’t turn to logic when debating what snacks to buy; just
stick to the facts. There are 26 grams of sugar in a single serving of Ocean
Spray’s Craisins and 30 grams of sugar in the same amount of Sun-Maid’s
Natural California Raisins.

7. Juice
Tip of the day: although labels like “all natural” and “100 percent juice”
sound healthy, it would be a wise choice to just ignore them. Despite the
wholesome promise of such statements stamped on the carton in big, bold
print, a serving of Langer’s Apple Juice contains 26 grams of sugar and the
same amount of Minute Maid Orange Juice follows close behind with 24 grams of
sugar. You are better off just eating the fruit and sipping water.

8. Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt is hailed as one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It’s known to
boost your metabolism and even improve your immunity. On the other hand, it
can also push you over the limit for your daily sugar intake. Just to put it
in perspective, a 6-ounce container of Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt is crammed
with 27 grams of sugar. Your best bet? Stick to plain yogurt and add slices
of fruit for flavor.

9. Instant Oatmeal
There’s just not enough time in the morning to make it from scratch, it’s so
convenient to have each serving prepackaged, it’s much more flavorful than
plain oatmeal … yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard (and used) every excuse in the
book. But these justifications still don’t change that fact that a serving of
Quaker’s Flavored Instant Oatmeal can contain as much as 14 grams of sugar.
If you must do instant, hung for the natural, low sugar options.

10. Bottled Iced Tea
There are 26 grams of sugar in 8-ounces of Coca-Cola, while the same amount
of Snapple Lemon Iced Tea contains 24 grams of sugar. Enough said.

It’s easy to overlook the high amount of sugar in seemingly healthy foods,
but a quick visit to Sugar Stacks is sure to set you straight. This
eye-opening site feature images of food and beverages with sugar cubes
stacked next to them to represent the amount of sugar in each item. For more
information, check out Sugar Shockers on Web MD.









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