“Health” Food Surprise: 10 Sugar-Packed Treats You Thought Were Wholesome
By Tina McCarthy via EcoSalon
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 (shown above) 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% 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.
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 