There’s sugar in that!?

We all say we want to live healthier and eat healthier. I am one of them! After reading an article on eatingwell.com, I knew I wanted to share some of it with you.

Most of us already eat too much sugar. Pastries are my weakness! On average, Americans consume 475 calories of added sugars every day—that equals to 30 teaspoons! When we want to cut back, we already know to get rid of the sugar drinks and desserts, but there are some less obvious sources with added sugars. Here’s a list of a few foods you may or may not have thought of.

Sauce: A leading brand of spaghetti sauce has 15 grams of sugar (almost 4 teaspoons) per ½ cup serving, and of course most of us consume closer to 1 cup of sauce on our pasta. This doesn’t mean you have to cut out the sauce. It counts as a vegetable serving and potent antioxidant. Just look for a sauce where any type of sugar (corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, etc.) is either not listed at all or is near the end of the ingredient list.

Salad Dressings: Fat-free salad dressings are often laden with sugar because, in order to eliminate the fat but keep some flavor, manufacturers rely primarily on sugar and salt

Smoothies: Might seem like a great way to add fruit and dairy to your diet. But most commercially prepared smoothies have added sugars lurking in them. Upside; there are a lot of recipes online! They are easy to make and you know what is going into the drink.

BBQ Sauce: You should always use barbecue sauce sparingly: just enough to add some flavor.

Multi-grain crackers and cereals: These can be good for you—often delivering a healthy dose of whole grains and fiber while also being low in fat. Just look at the ingredient lists because some of the popular brands have sugar listed as the third ingredient. Sneaky!

Moral of the story, read the ingredient list if you are trying to cut back on the sugar.