How You Can Avoid Eating Too Much Added Sugar

By Colleen D. Webb, MS, RDN

​Cutting back on added sugar is easier said than done, but with a little bit of effort you can make changes that will significantly and positively impact your long-term health!
 
"Added sugar" includes sugars and syrups added to foods either during processing, preparation or at the table.

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You might be surprised to learn that all of these common ingredients are "added sugars":

• Agave nectar
• Brown sugar
• Brown rice syrup
• Cane sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Crystalline fructose
• Dextrose
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fructose
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Malt sugar
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Nectars
• Sucrose

Added sugar is sweet and sneaky! Pastries, candy and soda aren't the only places it likes to hide. Thanks to food manufacturers, sugar can be found in all kinds of our favorite foods, including:

• Flavored yogurt
• Cereal (even mult-grain!)
• Granola bars
• Barbecue sauce
• Salad dressings
• Pasta sauce
• Teriyaki sauce
• Dried fruit
• Fruit juices and smoothies

I strongly encourage you to read ingredient lists to identify added sugars.
 
Here are a few easy and healthy options for satisfying your sweet tooth without all that added sugar. Don’t expect to find options with artificial sweeteners or other non-nutritive sweeteners.

1. One cup fresh fruit
2. One ounce dark chocolate (at least 72% cocoa)
3. Six ounces of plain yogurt with 1 teaspoon of your favorite jam (this is much healthier than buying a pre-flavored yogurt)
4. One small mashed banana with 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
5. Eight ounce tea latte made with low-fat milk (or unsweetened milk alternative, like almond, rice, coconut or soy)
6. One baked apple or pear topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of raw honey
7. One sunbutter cookie treat

I would love to hear about your favorite healthy desserts. Please leave a reply below!