7 "Healthy" Foods That Are Actually Full of Sugar
You can spot obvious sugar sources from a mile away (we see you, cereal and fruit juice!). But these supposedly better-for-you options pack more of the sweet stuff than you might think.
By Emma Haak
The Thing You Thought Was a Smart Breakfast Choice
Multigrain or wheat bagels, 1 bagel—up to
7 grams of sugar, which is over four times more than the
1.67 grams in a slice of whole grain toast.
Photo: BWFolsom/istockphoto
The Potato Chip Alternative
Banana chips, 1 ounce—
10 grams of sugar.
Photo: HandmadePictures/istockphoto
The Wrong Kind of Fruit
Fruit that's been canned in heavy syrup, or sweetened before freezing.
One cup of wild blueberries canned in heavy syrup, or the amount you might get in a large slice of blueberry pie made with canned berries—
61.5 grams of sugar.
Sweetened, frozen raspberries (thawed), 1 cup—
54.40 grams of sugar, compared to
5.4 grams in fresh raspberries.
Photo: Ivan Bajic/istockphoto
The Snack with Protein, Calcium and So. Much. Sugar.
Flavored yogurt, 6 ounces—up to
34 grams of sugar versus 8 grams in the same amount of plain,
whole-milk yogurt.
The Sauce That Has More Than Just Vegetables
Store-bought tomato-based sauce, ½ cup—
6.5 grams of sugar.
Photo: Magone/istockphoto
The Grab-and-Go Option You're Better Off Making On Your Own
Packaged granola or trail mixes, 1/2 cup—up to
15 grams of sugar, compared to many home recipes, such as this classic one, which has significantly
less of the sweet stuff.
Photo: Robyn Mackenzie/istockphoto
The Side Dish To Eat Sparingly
Baked beans, 1/2 cup—up to
16 grams of sugar.
Photo: iuliia_n/istockphoto
We Didn't Forget About Drinks...
Coconut water, 1 cup—
6.26 grams, compared to, well, zero in regular water.
Bottled green teas, 1 bottle—up to
30 grams versus 40 to 45 grams in a can of root beer.
Bottled green juices, 1 cup—around
14.5 grams.
Store-bought smoothies, 1 cup—around
23 grams, far more than this
vegetable-based smoothie you can make at home.
Sweetened almond milk, 1 cup—up to
14 grams of sugar.
Published 11/08/2016
