Sugar Shockers

Would you sit down and eat spoonfuls of sugar?  Thinking of it is actually gross.  Nutritional experts say our consumption of sugar shouldn’t be more than 10 teaspoons of added sugar per day.  How much is that exactly?  How does that translate to what we eat?

Sugar isn’t always listed as “sugar” as there are many forms and disguises of sugars in foods.  High fructose corn syrup is a big one.  No indication of sugar in the ingredient name but that is exactly what it is.  Check out the sugar content in grams on the nutritional breakdown of all food items.  Items claiming healthy and fat free can be full of sugar.  Fat free products especially make up for the fat by adding sugar for flavor and texture.  You need to be a food detective to make sure your choices are exactly what you think they are in being healthy for you.

You’d be surprised to learn that foods that seem innocent enough are packed with sugar and lots of it.  To convert grams of sugar on a nutrition label into easy to understand teaspoons, divide the grams of sugar listed by four.

Check out how much sugar is in some of your favorite “healthy” foods.  As a comparison, only one Oreo contains one teaspoon of sugar.  Here’s some others:

1 container of lowfat blueberry yogurt (healthy, right?):  10-1/2 teaspoons of sugar.
1 cup vegetetarian baked beans:  5 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce:  2-1/2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup low sodium vegetable soup:  2 teaspoons of sugar

Knowledge is power in making food choices.  Check out your favorites to make sure they are worthy of a place in your nutrition program.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator