If you’re trying to lose weight, the quickest, simplest way to kick-start your efforts is by cutting out sugar. In fact, nixing the sweet stuff will not only help your waistline, it will also increase your energy levels, stabilize your hormones and balance your moods. It’s pretty much the best bang for your wellness buck!
Lots of people think that quitting sugar is a simple matter of not adding that spoonful of white powder to their morning coffee. But the reality is, that teaspoon of sugar you physically add to your java is just a drop in the bucket compared to the typical daily intake of the average American. By far, the majority of sugar that we consume is from processed foods. And THAT’S where you can make the biggest difference.
You can probably guess that there’s a boatload of sugar in candy, chocolate, cookies and other sweet-tasting foods. These are the obvious choices to cut out when it comes to minimizing our sugar intake. But it doesn’t stop there. Lots of people are accidentally sabotaging their efforts by consuming foods that seem to be okay – even healthy – options, but that are actually secret sugar-bombs.
Here are 7 sneaky foods that could be derailing your wellness goals.
- Low-fat yogurt.
When you remove the fat from a food, you have to replace it with something to maintain the flavor and texture. And that something is usually sugar. Low-fat yogurt is one food that so many people think is a healthy option, but that is actually chock-full of sweet poison. Did you know that one tub of low-fat yogurt contains about 6-8 teaspoons of sugar? That’s as much sugar as in 14 Hershey’s kisses. Kind of mind-blowing, isn’t it?! A better option is to eat unsweetened Greek yogurt and jazz it up yourself with fresh berries, nuts, seeds and a dash of honey or maple syrup.
- Dried fruit.
If you think that dried fruit is a healthy snack for weight loss, I’ve got bad news for you. It’s actually a secret sugar-bomb that has just as much sugar as candy. You are far better off eating the whole fruit, which will fill you up and naturally help you regulate how much you’re consuming. As an illustration, weight-for-weight, raisins have almost 4 times as much sugar in them as grapes, without the water content to make you feel full. So while you’ll start to feel satiated after a bunch of grapes, who can ever stop at one small handful of raisins?
- Breakfast cereals.
Some breakfast cereals contain so much sugar, they’d be better classified as confectionary. And it’s not just the obvious choices (Lucky Charms, anyone?!). Most muselis and granola mixes contain oats baked in sugar or maple syrup, and oodles of dried fruit. The same goes for granola bars. All of these are bad news for your waistline. Instead, choose porridges and oat blends that are unsweetened and contain no dried fruit.
- Flavoured coffees.
That morning mocha is not as innocent as it looks. Anytime you’re adding flavored syrups or powders to your java, you’re upping the sugar content. While a normal, unsweetened latte only contains the naturally occurring sugar from milk (lactose), a grande Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks contains 32 grams of sugar (equivalent to 8 teaspoons), a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte contains 49 grams (12 teaspoons), and a venti Caramel Brulée Frappuccino contains a whopping 82 grams of sugar – that’s 20 teaspoons!
For your heart, your health and your tooshie, the best option is to train yourself to enjoy a simple, straight-up coffee. If you need to add a spoonful of sugar to ease your transition, that’s totally fine. Eventually, your tastebuds will catch up, and you’ll become a coffee connoisseur, appreciating the purity of an unadulterated, unsweetened cup of Joe.
- Fruit juice.
Fruit juice has been masquerading as a health food for far too long. A glass of juice has just as much sugar as a glass of Coke. Yes, it does have more nutritional goodness than soda, but the mere presence of a few vitamins does not make something a health food. If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, I highly recommend cutting all fruit juice out of your diet. Replace it with still or sparkling water. If you’re craving that tangy fruit flavor, add a squirt of lemon or lime juice or some fresh mint leaves.
- Cocktails.
Now I love a fun night out with the girls as much as anyone, but I avoid these sugar-bombs like the plague. Cocktails are based on sugar – whether it’s fruit juice, syrup, or a sweet liqueur. The sugar will kick-start your appetite for all things sweet and starchy, which is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol (which diminishes your willpower and makes that midnight pizza seem like such a good idea).
I prefer to stick to wine, which doesn’t contain fructose (the particularly problematic kind of sugar). Another low-sugar choice is a high-quality spirit mixed with soda and some freshly muddled lemon or lime.
- Sauces and condiments.
You wouldn’t dream of letting your kids squirt chocolate syrup over their dinner, would you? Well, would it shock you to know that barbecue sauce contains more sugar than chocolate syrup? And ketchup is only a little way behind?
When you’re adding sauce to your meals, the reality is that more often than not, you’re merely piling on the sugar. This is one of the sneakiest ways that sugar finds its way into our mouths (and onto our hips). Use alternatives (like Tobasco, salsa and tomato puree), look for low-sugar alternatives (you’ll find reduced sugar ketchup on supermarket shelves and in health-food stores) or make your own from scratch.
So there you have it – my 7 sneaky sugar-bombs that are derailing your weight loss efforts. If you missed last week’s article on the dangers of the sweet stuff, you can catch up here [LINK].
Do any of these sneaky foods surprise you? Have you been eating some of them without realizing the truth? Head down to the comments and let me know!