Looks can often be deceiving, and in the nutritional world that often means many seemingly healthy foods contain way too much sugar. Below are a few foods that contain more sugar than a Snickers candy bar. The foods below contain more than 27 grams or 7 teaspoons of sugar.
Why we need less sugar
Often, sugar is an additive in our foods; especially in America. People in the United States tend to have more of a sweet tooth than the rest of the world, which is why we are one of the fattest countries also (with a few other contributing factors). Sugar is a feel good substance because when consumed by the body, serotonin is released. The chemical serotonin causes your brain to feel rewarded, which then makes you feel more relaxed and happy. However, as you eat more and more, you build a tolerance – meaning it takes more and more sugar to produce the same feel good effect.
#1 Juices
It’s understandable that juices contain more sugars then most foods because fruit contain a lot of sugar; companies even add more sugar depending on the time of year and how sweet or tart they want the juice to be. The only problem with juices is that by drinking and not consuming the fruit, less fiber enters the body (fiber causes one to feel more full) and it actually doesn’t reduce hunger later.
#2 Smoothies
Smoothies have the same issues as juices except that they can contain even more sugars. Smoothies, especially when bought from a store, typically contain additives like syrups and frozen yogurt. The Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie (small) contains a whopping 60 grams of sugar – that’s a total of15 teaspoons of sugar or 5 regular size Snickers bars!
#3 McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal
While oatmeal is healthy for you on its own, everything you add into can taint the nutritional value. The fruit and maple oatmeal from McDonald’s contains 32 grams of sugar. Oatmeal is a carb, and your body converts carbs into glucose (sugars). Adding a lot of other sugary substances now creates a huge blood sugar spike that can change how you feel. However, putting sources of fats or protein into your oatmeal can help balance out the nutritional value and decrease the spike.
#4 Chobani Black Cherry Yogurt
Touted as a health food superstar for being a decent Greek yogurt, Chobani has recently been under fire. A lot of fruit flavored yogurts are not just flavored by the fruit; they often have a lot of added sugar. There are even recent allegations about the quality of this yogurt, however we do know one thing, 28 grams of sugar is an awful lot for such a small amount of yogurt.
#5 Stonyfield Fat-Free Blackberry Blend Yogurt
Like number four above, this yogurt faces similar sugar issues. I personally eat this yogurt multiple times a week but try to dress down the sugars by adding in protein powders and good fats like nuts. Organic does not always mean better though. Sugar is sugar in any form, and when taking it from fruits and adding it in, the quantity adds up quickly.
#6 Snapple Green Tea
Even though the green tea kick is slowly starting to fade, it is still a popular drink for many people around the world. Green tea is great for your body and contains tons of health benefits, all the added sugar does not. Because many American’s have a sweet tooth, companies often dump in way more sugar then they need, thus negating a lot of the original benefits people think they are still getting. At 30 grams of sugar per bottle, this green tea maybe shouldn’t be your first choice.
#7 Dried Fruit
Many dried fruits contain much more sugars then their hydrated brethren. This is in part because when dehydrated, mostly water is lost, not any other substances. The other reason dried fruit contain so much sugar compared to regular fruits is because people can eat a lot more of them. For example, it might be tough to try and eat an entire bag of grapes but pretty easy to eat an entire box of raisins. Dried fruit contains less volume and doesn’t make people as full.
In conclusion, be careful; use your best judgment and check the nutritional label. If going to an establishment to buy prepared food, ask the cashier or chef whether they are using a lot of additives like yogurts, sugars, and ice cream. Remember, looks can be deceiving and some things that may be very healthy on their own can lose nutritional value with the addition of large amounts of sugar.