Sugar, Sugar Everywhere!

I want to talk about SUGAR because everywhere I go, I am surrounded. 

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond, and I had to tell my 8-year-old to "look away" from the mounds of candy in the checkout line. Snickers, Jolly Rangers and tons of chewing gum were staring me right in the face. Uh, why at a home goods store do we need candy? Even at Justice, a tween clothing store, you can find gummy bears and lollipops near the sales rack.

Since it seems that we are surrounded by sugar, I started to do a little research on refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup (main ingredients in candy). These two are considered by many experts to be the biggest contributors to obesity and poor health in America.

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and blogger at Food Politics says that any food that contains more than 15 grams of sugar per serving is closer to dessert than anything else.

I am horrified after looking up the sugar content of a few common foods. As you can see, I didn’t just stick to candy and desserts. You will be shocked!

Sugar Content of Food Products

1.  Krispy Kreme glazed donut……………………….. 10 grams

2. Froot Loops……………………………………………..12 grams

3. Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice cream……………………. 16 grams

4.  Subway 6-inch teriyaki chicken sandwich…………..17 grams

5.  Yoplait yogurt………………………………………….27 grams

6.  Vitamin Water 20 oz. ………………………………… 33 grams

7.  Oscar Meyer Lunchables………………………………36 grams

8.  Coke Classic 12 oz. can……………………………….39 grams

9.  California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Salad……45 grams

10. Odwalla Superfood 450 ml. ………………………….50 grams

So what do you make of all this? 

Here are a few takeaways:

Foods we see as desserts (doughnuts, ice cream) often have far less sugar than things we consider “healthy” (yogurt)

Froot Loops aren’t really better than doughnuts.

Energy bars are glorified candy.

Sugar is sometimes hidden in things like sandwiches.

Foods marketed to children aren’t much better than soda.

The worst offenders are in liquid form.

How much sugar is in your favorite foods? Tell me what you found below in the comments.

Do you crave sugar? Halloween is coming up so don't get caught with your hand in that candy jar at work.  Come to my "Addicted to Left Over Candy?" workshop at Whole Foods Annapolis.

Date:  Oct. 12th

Time:  7 to 8:30 p.m.

Register here:  Cravings Workshop

Lisa Consiglio Ryan is a Certified Health and Nutrition Coach for busy, active women and their families. Areas of expertise include weight loss, stress management, detox programs, and special diets such as vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Services include private consulting and group seminars.

Get your FREE guide to healthy living:  5 Shockingly Simple Steps to Getting Your Hot Body Back for Good.

Contact Lisa at Whole Health Designs for more information on health coaching programs: http://www.wholehealthdesigns.com.

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