Many processed foods contain a lot of added sugar that offer no nutritional value.
Added sugar may even bring health risks, such as high chances of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, gum diseases, and cancer.
Eating too much sugar can also need to faster aging and older skin.
Research has shown that the average Americans eat 20 teaspoons of sugar a day, or 3 cups per week.
This is much higher than the recommended amount from the American Heart Association guidelines.
According to the guidelines, women and children should consume no more than 6 teaspoons a day, and men should aim for less than 9 teaspoons.
Bethany Lee-Lehner, director of patient education and community outreach at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center, discusses the health dangers of added sugar and where that sugar is hiding.
Natural sugars are usually found fruits and vegetables and they are considered nutritional.
But added sugars, such as white sugar, brown sugar, and high fructose corn syrup, are not nutritional.
They can be found in sodas, granola bars, and cakes or cookies. People can see them in nutrition labels.
Here are several foods that contain most of the added sugar:
Sugary drinks
According to the researcher, sugary drinks are the No.1 source of added sugar in the American diet.
These include sports drinks, energy drinks, sugary sodas, sweetened tea, and vitamin-enhanced waters
Instead of drinking sugary drinks, people should drink plain water, sparkling water or water infused with fresh fruit or herbs.
It also beneficial to drink coffee and tea without adding sugar.
Breakfast foods
These include energy bars, cereals, and granola. Although they are fortified with vitamins and minerals, they can be very high in added sugars.
Instead of eating sugary breakfast foods, people should eat a bowl of bran cereal, unsweetened oatmeal or steel cut oats.
These foods are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Yogurt
According to the researcher, yogurt is one of the most misunderstood products in terms of its health benefits.
This is because flavored yogurt has a lot of added sugar.
To get the best benefits from yogurt, people should drink plain Greek yogurt without adding sugar. But it is healthy to add some fruit in it.
Sauces and salad dressings
Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and salad dressings are often high in added sugar.
To eat less sugar, people can make their own salad dressings with low-sugar recipes.
Although it is impossible to completely avoid added sugar in daily meals, people can reduce their sugar intake by reading the nutrition labels and paying attention to the serving size and added sugars.
People can also eat more fruits and vegetables and being mindful of what they are putting into their body.
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