salad dressing sugar

Photo: jeffbergen, Jultud/istockphoto

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At Lunch

If you're already doing the smart thing by brown-bagging it, these swaps can make a big difference.

Toss: Bottled salad dressing. Here's how much sugar you'll find in 2 tablespoons of some popular varieties (and we know you're probably using more than 2 tablespoons): French, 5.1 grams; Italian, 3.16 grams; Russian, 7 grams; Balsamic Vinaigrette, 4 grams; Honey Mustard; 7 grams; Raspberry Vinaigrette; 5 grams.
Have This Instead: Make your own. Salad dressings are easy to whip up, and often cheaper than store-bought ones. We've got 5 delicious yet simple recipes.
Sugar Saved: Depending on the DIY recipe you use, you could make a salad dressing with no sugar. If you used to use 2 tablespoons of Russian dressing on your lunch salad Monday through Friday, that's 35 grams of sugar per workweek, gone. (Equivalent to 4 fun-size chocolate candies.)

Toss: The reduced-fat peanut butter on your sandwich, which can pack 4 grams of sugar in 2 tablespoons. (Reduced-fat anything normally has higher sugar amounts, says Hill, because companies replace the fat with sugar to keep the product from tasting bland.)
Have This Instead: Go for full-fat varieties, which often have around 1 gram of sugar per 2 tablespoons. You can take it one step further and find no-sugar-added options, which, you guessed it, have no sugar.
Sugar Saved: If you're dining on PB&J three times a week, that's 12 grams of sugar you're no longer eating, about the amount in 2 soft store-bought chocolate-chip cookies.