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From January 5-19 the members of the NaturallyCurly team and community are participating in the NaturallyCurly No Sugar Challenge. If this includes you, you’re past the withdrawal hangry stages and feeling energized! I’ve been doing lots of research on foods with sugar to know exactly what to steer clear of and it’s unbelievable how much added sugar lives in most of my everyday foods. Scroll down to find out the top 10 foods that have added sugars in them and how to substitute those foods for a healthier option.
Bread
Surprisingly, many popular brands have added molasses or high fructose corn syrup to their loaves for a better taste. So, unfortunately, you can’t have your delicious Instagram worthy avocado toast unless you opt for a whole wheat grain bread or Ezekiel sprouted bread.
Salad dressing
How can you go wrong eating a salad? You can easily take a not-so-healthy turn when you add a vinaigrette or ranch to your salad, yes even the light and non-fat dressings. Many salad dressings contain up to 5 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Instead, stick to extra virgin olive oil or try these recipes so you know exactly what you’re eating.
Many salad dressings contain up to 5 grams of sugar per tablespoon.
Condiments
Ketchup, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, and mayonnaise – you name it, it’s full of sugar. Before you saturate your fries with ketchup, keep in mind each tablespoon is 4 grams of sugar. Instead, look for a low sodium/low sugar versions to be on the safer side.
Cereal
You already know our childhood favorites such as Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch are loaded with sugars, but even Raisin Bran has about 18 grams of sugar per cup. So stick with the plain and simple cereals such as shredded wheats. Even the instant oatmeals, especially the flavored ones, are packed with sugar so opt for the plain oatmeal and add your own raisins, cinnamon or fresh fruits for a sweet breakfast.
Soda
Who else usually grabs a soda for a mid-day pick me up? Well, the temporary upper isn’t worth the crash later, not to mention a normal sized Pepsi contains 69 grams of sugar. The average 12-ounce soda contains about 150 calories and at least 30 grams of sugar. Even the sugar-free and diet sodas have artificial sweeteners in them, so instead grab a glass of water and add lemon or lime.
Fruit Yogurt
Yoplait is one of the most popular brands of yogurt, and though many of its products are fat-free, the same can’t be said for its sugar content. In fact, a small, a six-ounce strawberry Yoplait Yogurt has 26 grams of sugar in it. If you really want to steer clear of sugary yogurts, choose a plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruits for sweetness.
Processed Meat
Whether it’s lunch meat, sausage, bacon, beef jerky or salami, processed meats contain many harmful chemicals that are linked to diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Most processed meat contains ingredients like refined sugar, corn syrup, and glucose. Try to limit the amount of processed meat you eat and choose fresh red meat or fish.
Fruit Juice
Fruity drinks may seem like the perfect way to get your recommended two servings in for the day, but most are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Be sure you read the labels and choose a fruit juice that is 100% sugar-free or stick with the real thing.
Non-Dairy Milk
Milk has natural sugar in the lactose, but carefully read the labels for any added sugars. Keep an eye on the labels of milks like almond milk, soy milk, and cashew milk and be sure to steer clear of non-fat milk or sweetened milks.
Spaghetti Sauce
This one might seem surprising, but most mainstream processors add sugar in the form of corn syrup to counteract the acidic taste most tomato sauces have. One-half cup of Ragu spaghetti sauce contains 7 grams of sugar, so double check the label and choose one of these sugar-free sauces.
Welp, that about sums up my everyday essentials. Were you surprised by any of these? Let me know which ones will be the toughest to give up in the comments.
Sign up to join the challenge and find out what we’re giving up.
This is what happens to your body on a no sugar challenge.
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