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Many people are watching their sugar intake. But even the most discernible shoppers can sometimes be fooled by foods that contain hidden sugar. It is obvious that people who are watching their sugar intake should avoid baked goods, sweets, candy, and sugary cereals. However, there are many foods on the grocery stores shelves that are actually quite high in sugar, although they do not obviously taste sweet. Many of these foods are processed versions of traditional foods that normally do not contain sugar. That sugar is called “hidden sugar”. For some people, hidden sugar can cause major health problems. The next time you go to the grocery store, make sure to check the labels of these popular foods that contain hidden sugar.

Watch Out For These 6 Common Foods Packed With Hidden Sugar:

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• Protein Bars – Thinking of grabbing a protein bar after your workout to refuel? Not so fast. Check the label. Most commercial protein bars contain sugar in the form of brown rice syrup, maltodextrin, and evaporated cane juice to name a few. Always check the label and try to stick to bars that contain less than 10g of sugar per serving.

 



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• Fat Free Salad Dressing – Fat free versions of creamy salad dressings like ranch contain sugar to enhance flavors. Kraft fat free ranch contains both corn syrup and sugar as two of the top ingredients. To avoid added sugar in your salad dressing, try making them at home. Salad dressings are simple to make at home with just a few tasty ingredients like olive oil, herbs and spices, and apple cider vinegar.

 



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• Ketchup – Most ketchup that you find on the grocery store shelves contains high fructose corn syrup. Just one ketchup packet contains 6 grams of sugar. Let’s face it, most of us use at least 2 or 3 packets at a time.

 



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• Tomato Sauce – Sugar is added to tomato sauce to cut the acidic taste of the tomatoes and vinegar. Some commercial tomato sauces can contain as much as 13 grams of sugar per serving. That’s over 25% of the daily recommended allowance according to the FDA. Look for low sugar products like Ragu Light No Sugar Added Tomato and Basil sauce.

 



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• Beef Jerky – Beef jerky is a great snack food if you are following a low-carb diet. But you have to be selective about the beef jerky that you eat, because some jerky brands heavily sweeten their products. Your best bet is to get your beef jerky from your local butcher or artican food producer. You also find low sugar brands online. If you are handy in the kitchen, you can try making your own beef jerky.

 


• Peanut Butter – Peanut butter can contain dextrose which is another name for sugar made from corn. Sometimes sugar is the second ingredient after peanuts on the label. Your best bet is to buy natural peanut butter, which contains only one ingredient: peanuts.

 
How do you avoid hidden sugar in common foods? Do you make homemade versions of these foods, or look for low sugar commercial versions of these foods?