It’s a fact that most of us eat too much sugar, and this goes for both adults and children. According to the USDA, the average person eats 77 pounds of sugar every year! This is bad news for health – sugar contributes to a host of illnesses such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Even if you avoid putting sugar in your recipes and meals, there is still hidden sugar in your foods. They go by different names, like high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, fructose, corn syrup solids, fruit juice, and even agave. But it all comes down to the same thing – it’s all sugar.
Many of the following foods seem healthy (and are marketed that way too) but can be loaded with sugar:
- Granola
- Sweetened iced tea
- Smoothies
- Protein bars
- Chocolate milk
- Applesauce
- Salad dressing
- Condiments like ketchup and ranch dressing
- Dried fruit
- Flavored yogurt
- Most cereals
- Starbucks drinks (especially Frappucinos)
The most important thing you can is to read the labels on everything. Check out the sugar grams per serving. While the American Heart Association allows up to 6 teaspoons of sugar a day, we recommend keeping your child’s diet (and yours) as sugar-free as possible for optimum health.
