Hiding in the foods you eat, sugar may be the culprit to not dropping excess weight and a reason why you may not be seeing the results you expect from those hard workout sessions!
Hidden sugar in common “healthy” foods:
Yogurt:
The pros, yogurt contains high amounts of calcium, is low in calories, and contains essential probiotics. On the flip side, yogurt is a major problem food in many people’s diets, as this food is actually full of sugar.
Although Danon, Yoplait, and other brands are said to be “light and fit”, “low fat”, etc, the majority of the ingredients making up this 90-110 calorie food is nearly 15 grams per cup. SILK soy yogurt contains nearly 18 grams of sugar per container. Consuming this much sugar in one small cup of yogurt a day is a disaster waiting to happen. Luckily, there are other options to get healthy bacteria- probiotics, calcium, and low calorie foods that can replace yogurt and it’s high sugar content.
Opt for: Fage Greek Yogurt 0%, for 7 ounces it contains 90 calories, 15 grams of protein, and the least of any yogurt- 7 grams of sugar. This is the best option as there is no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, added preservatives or artificial sweeteners, which should be avoided at all times.
Dried Fruit:
Water is removed during the drying process, making fruit extremely bitter tasting. This is where sugar comes into play, being added occasionally or simply being converted as glucose and fructose during that drying process. A cup of grapes has about 60 calories, where a cup of raisins is nearly 400 calories without adding any other ingredients and just from the drying process. This is simply due to the fact that the grapes shrink down during drying- ¼ cup of raisins contains 29 grams of sugar. Another high sugar dried fruit is apricots, containing almost 70 grams of sugar per ½ a cup. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1838/2
Opt for: Fresh fruit is a better option due to the high water content and larger size, which is easier to maintain fullness.
Cereal:
Always look for at least 3 grams of fiber and protein in cereal, and below 200 calories per serving, avoiding cereal containing “enriched wheat flour”. Often times, we think cereal is a healthy option. However, majority of cereals contain added sugar and high fructose corn syrup, adding more unnecessary calories into your diet, spiking your blood levels, and leaving you craving more. Cereals said to be “healthy”, which are not- Special K with a low calorie content, yet sugar and high fructose corn syrup are listed on the ingredients. Kashi cereal is often sweetened with evaporated cane juice or brown rice syrup, adding nearly 13 grams of sugar to 1 cup of of GoLEAN Crunch Cereal
Opt For: Puffins- Honey Rice, Ezekiel Cereals, containing 0 grams of sugar.
Bread:
Often times, we think of whole wheat bread as being healthy, when indeed sugar may be one of the top ingredients listed, which is the case for a ton of breads.
Opt For: Ezekiel Bread and Ezekiel products in general- containing 0 grams of sugar, Food For Life has various bread that are gluten free as well.
Main Points:
Avoid products with “high fructose corn syrup” or “sugar”.
Opt for: fresh fruit, raw cocoa powder, unsweetened almond /rice milk. Items containing “evaporated cane juice” and “brown rice syrup” are sufficient in small quantities, as it has undergone less processing than refined sugar, therefore retaining more nutrients of the sugar cane plant, yet still adding high amounts of sugar to foods. Honey and agave nectar are two options that are natural and more beneficial to use than regular table sugar, although again, containing high amounts of sugar, so be sure to use in moderation and not everyday.
The USDA recommends no more than 6-10% of calories from sugar a day. I recommend cutting any added sugar to as little as possible each day, not including fruit. Consuming sugar only makes you crave more. Instead, see how many days you can go each week without eating products containing added sugars and artificial sweeteners and pay close attention to how you feel.
At the end of the day, SUGAR=DEVIL…an aspect of food that is not a requirement and can reek havoc on your diet, preventing you from losing or maintaining weight, making you feel jittery, hungry, and most of the time just wanting more!!!
