5 Labels to Read if You’re Cutting Down on Added Sugar

Sugar… is it really so bad?  This answer depends on who you talk to and exactly what type of sugar you’re referring to.  The human body needs some amount of sugar to function properly. We obtain natural sugar from our diet by eating carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, dairy, vegetables, legumes, beans, and other starches.  According to the health experts at Harvard Health, these natural sources of sugar are ok, but added sugars might be more of the problem.

If you aren’t familiar, added sugar is exactly as it sounds – sugar that has been added to a food product.  Manufacturers do this to enhance the flavor, shelf life, or other factors of food.

While it makes sense that added sugars are in sweet-tasting foods like baked goods, fruit juices, and soda, the reality is that added sugars are also in a lot of foods, even those marketed as healthy. 

The good news? There’s almost always a healthy swap available. Keep reading to learn which popular foods tend to contain added sugar.

Related Reading: 10 Tips to Reduce Added Sugar

5 Surprising Sources of Added Sugar

1. Sauces like ketchup

Before you willingly dip into your next sauce, take a closer look at its label.  Many sauces, like ketchup, can be sneaky sources of added sugars.  In fact, most brands of ketchup contain around 4 grams of added sugars per tablespoon.  Depending on your typical serving size, this could add up fast.  Other sauces to be mindful of include salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, and barbecue sauces.

Healthy Swaps: True Made Ketchup or Primal Kitchen Ketchup

2. Breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles

Starting off your first meal of the day with high-quality ingredients is key to avoiding that midday fatigue.  Pancakes and waffles are well-known for their sugary syrup topping, but did you realize that many mixes or frozen varieties contain added sugars, too?  One popular brand of pancake mix contains 10 grams of total sugars and 9 of those grams come from added sugar.  This popular morning duo could result in an extra sugary meal, similar to eating a piece of cake, without even realizing it.  

Healthy Swaps: Pamela’s Pancake Mix or Birch Benders Frozen Toaster Waffles

Related Reading: Tips for Healthier Pancakes

3. Yogurt 

Yogurt is a portable and budget-conscious buy which makes it a popular choice for meals and snacks.  But before you go grabbing any yogurt, make sure you’re reading the nutrition facts.  Some yogurts, Greek or traditional, can be full of added sugars in addition to their advertised fruit flavor.  Even flavors such as vanilla can have up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving.  

We recommend training your palate to enjoy the plain versions and sweeten them with fruit.  This method allows you to avoid added sugars as well as artificial sweeteners like Splenda or stevia.

Healthy Swaps: Chobani Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt or Stoneyfield Probiotic Whole Milk Yogurt

4. Nut Butters

Open the pantry, and you’ll likely see a nut butter or two.  Peanut butter, almond butter, and other spreads are delicious and add healthy fats to smoothies, sandwiches, oatmeals, and more.  But to really optimize the nutrition in these spreads, it’s best to try to find one that isn’t sweetened with sugar.  Most often, this healthy swap won’t impact the price.  Plus, nut butters have a certain amount of sweetness on their own so while the texture might change a tad, the sweetness should remain very similar.

Healthy Swap: Smuckers Peanut Butter

5. Soup

Canned soups typically have a reputation for being high in sodium; however, some varieties are also heavily sweetened.  We’re all for convenience eating, but if something is high in both sugar and salt, it might not be doing your long-term health any favors.  A tricky thing about soups is that sometimes flavors within a certain brand can vary on nutrition quality – meaning the chicken noodle is a great choice, while the chicken and rice is not.  If you’re a soup fan, spend some time browsing the aisles to find options that work for you.  Also know that in some cases, making soup from scratch may be the best choice.

Healthy Swap: Health Valley Organic Chicken Noodle Soup (Pro Tip: Squeeze some lemon juice into the soup for a fresh flavor boost.)

The Bottom Line

While added sugars may find their way into popular food items like sauces, nut butters, soups, yogurts, and breakfast foods, healthier swaps are always available. If you’re focused on reducing added sugars, which food products surprised you the most? Comment below so we can learn from each other.