Some foods are obvious sources of added sugar. Cake, cookies, candies, donuts, ice cream — no surprises there. But did you know that more than half of all processed foods in the grocery store have added sugar?
Foods like yogurt, granola bars, protein bars, and cereal can pack more sugar than you’d expect. There are two places you can check to see if a food contains added sugar:
1. The Nutrition Label
First, take a look at the nutrition facts. There may be a row for “Added Sugars,” listed just below the “Total Sugar” row.
2. The Ingredients List
Next, look at the ingredients list. See if sugar is anywhere on that list. Sugar can go by other names. Evaporated cane juice, fruit juice, honey, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup, sucrose, barley malt, and dextrose are all different ways of saying “sugar.”
It doesn’t have to be hard to figure out which foods have added sugar. All of the info you need is listed on the package. And remember: While there may be natural sugars in many foods that don’t come in packages, foods like fresh fruits and veggies won’t give you any added sugar!
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