There is a lot of hidden sugar in common foods that you eat every day. When I say “hidden” I really mean sugar that’s listed in the ingredients, but most people don’t check because it’s not candy or cookies. Whether you are trying to lose weight, or a diabetic – sugar is nearly first on the list of things to avoid. I’m not even talking about things that convert to sugar (carbs) or the natural sugar you find in foods. What I’m talking about here is “added sugar”. You would not believe how many food items sugar is added to so it tastes better.
Added Sugar in Ketchup
Everybody likes ketchup right? Burgers, hot dogs, fries – some people even put ketchup on their eggs. I’ve yet to see a diabetic or person on a diet refuse to eat ketchup, and yet if you check the label it’s probably similar to this one – 4 grams of added sugar per tablespoon. Remember next time you go out for a burger and there’s a little cup of ketchup on your plate, just 1/4 cup of ketchup is 4 tbsp (which is 16 grams of sugar). To put this in perspective, a full size snickers bar has 20 grams of sugar in it. Did you know you were adding a candy bar to your burger and fries? Thankfully in this day and age they make “no sugar added” (NSA) ketchup, and you can buy it in nearly any supermarket. Be smarter – and get a bottle of the NSA kind. Or better yet, just use mustard from here on out (no sugar in that).
Added Sugar in Teriyaki Sauce
You’re going to make yourself a healthier meal like Chinese stir-fry or lo-mein, right? I’m going to start this discussion with Kikkoman standard Teriyaki sauce because most people don’t look at the label to see that there is 2g of sugar per tablespoon. And you might use 1/2 cup or more in your stir fry (8tbsp or 16 grams of sugar). However, there are dozens and dozens of Chinese and Japanese sauces on the shelf at the grocery store. Turn them all around and you’ll find most if not ALL have 2g or more sugar per tablespoon. What else does this mean? Every time you visit Panda Express or any Chinese restaurant nearly every kind of sauce has sugar. Sweet and sour chicken has up to 81 grams of sugar per serving, general tso’s chicken has up to 31, and orange chicken has up to 34g. More than a snickers bar worth of sugar in every one of these dishes. Many supermarkets have no sugar added options of these sauces, and it’s easy to make your own as well.
Added Sugar in Cole Slaw and Potato Salad
So you’re trying to lose weight and think, I’ll have the grilled chicken and a little cole slaw and vegetable salad. No harm in that – right? 1 Serving of coleslaw at KFC has 10 grams of added sugar (half a candy bar). No wonder it tastes so darn good. Check your menus and labels, nearly every deli, supermarket, and restaurant makes it in a similar way. Even vinegar based coleslaws seem to have added sugar. Same with most versions of potato salads. Who knew the family picnic and eating out could be so tricky. Between the ketchup and sides you could be in a diabetic coma! The good news is that these can all be made either with no added sugar or with fake sugar substitutes (monk fruit and ethyritol blends work great).
Added Sugar in Seasonings
Here we have the nutrition label for a Taco Bell seasoning packet. It says that there is less than 1 gram of sugar per serving. The serving size is 2 tsp, and there are 6 servings per packet. Looks good, right? If there is a half or 3/4 of a gram of sugar per serving, that’s still <1 gram right? At 6 servings per packet that could be 3-6 (or more) grams of sugar being added to your taco meat every time you make it. What happens if you then add ketchup to this for some sloppy joes? Ouch! Look, my point here is that you need to check the labels, check the labels, and check the labels. Spices, rubs, mixes, dip packets - all candidates for added sugar (and you can make them all just as good without the sugar).
Added Sugar in Peanut Butter
We’ve always been told that peanut butter is a good nutritious snack. You can eat it with celery or on a spoon to fill you up for awhile if you’re trying to lose weight. You can have it on keto break with some sugar free jam for a guilt-free PB&J. But – wait! There’s added sugar in this too! Yes, there is, and finally just in the last few years I’m now seeing “no sugar added” Jif at the stores near me. You can buy either that or completely natural peanut butter (with no added sugar). Honestly – this is yet another example of where food companies have added sugar in a place where they really didn’t need to.
Check Those Labels
If I haven’t taught you anything else today at all, I hope that you will now check the labels of all the foods you consumer and buy. You can google nearly any food with the words “nutrition” and get the label instantly. I didn’t even get to tell you about all the added sugars in beef jerky! Check your labels people, learn to eat better.
