If you’ve been watching your sugar intake and looking to make healthier choices you probably already know that a candy bar is not the best choice when you are hungry. A standard Snickers® bar contains 27g sugar, the equivalent of 7 tsp. But some “healthy foods” or at least ones you think are a better choice pack a larger sugar punch than a Snickers®. That is when it becomes very important to read your nutrition labels so that sneaky calories, sugar, fat, etc. do not sneak into your diet! Here are a few offenders:
- McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal. If you’ve been swapping your Egg McMuffin for the oatmeal, you may not be making a healthy choice. The oatmeal has a whopping 32g sugar and is loaded with sugar, dried fruit, and brown sugar without any fat or protein. Eat this and you’ll be reaching for a snack well before the noon hour. Opt for this 100-calorie Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal with 14g protein.
- Stonyfield Organic™ Blends Fat-Free Blackberry Yogurt. Organic is all the rage in the health and wellness circles, but organic doesn’t always mean healthy. This yogurt packs 28g sugar into a small 6-oz serving. Opt for plain, Greek yogurt and you’ll save yourself over 20g sugar.
- POM Wonderful® Pomegranate Juice. Pomegranate seeds are a super food so drinking their juice should be healthy, right? Wrong! An 8-oz bottle contains 31g sugar! You are better off eating the seeds. If you opt for the juice, dilute it with seltzer water for a fun fizzy drink!
- VitaCoco® Coconut Water with Pineapple. Coconut water has quickly found its way into mainstream supermarkets. It is packed with more potassium than four bananas, fat free, and super-hydrating. It also can be super sugary. The VitaCoco® Pineapple flavor contains 30g sugar per 16-oz container! Steer clear of flavored coconut water and opt for the natural option to save 20g sugar.
Remember, the key to nutritional success is learning to read your nutrition labels and making sure they align with your goals! Ask you provider for more information about nutrition labels and what you should watch out for!