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Refined sugar
Replies
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0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I think when you do a lot of home cooking it is easier to avoid adding sugar but here are some of the products that sugar is found in.
SEMI-SWEET BISCUITS
Semi-sweet biscuits are deceptively high in sugar with an average 22.3g per 100g. McVities Plain Digestive biscuits contain 16.9g sugar per 100g - 5g of sugar per two biscuits.
Cube rating: 1 cube
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Semi-sweet biscuits from health-food shops are significantly lower in sugar than mainstream ranges. However, as almost all biscuits are high in sugar, for a really low-sugar option, your best option is the closest savoury equivalent - oatcakes or crackers topped with a spread or cheese.
CRANBERRY JUICE
Thousands of women rely on cranberry juice for its ability to combat cystitis and bladder infections. Yet the juice is highly sweetened and its medicinal effect comes at a calorific cost - a medium 250ml glass contains a whopping 36.3g of sugar.
Cube rating: 7 cubes
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: As cranberries are naturally bitter, most juices, sauces or spreads are sweetened. You can dilute the juice, but if you want a therapeutic effect without any sugar your best option is to take cranberry capsules as supplements.
BAKED BEANS
Tinned products with tomato sauces are one of the worst hidden sugar culprits. M&S beans have 7.2g of sugar per 100g, so a typical serving would contain 15g of sugar.
Cube rating: 3 cubes
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Opt for fresh spaghetti with tomato puree and vegetables, instead of canned. Organic versions of baked beans in health food shops, and freshly made tomato soups, halve the sugar levels of mainstream brands.
MUESLI
Very nutritious, but many contain high levels of sugar with low-fat options the worst culprits. M&S Count On Us contains 36.1g of sugar per 100g - that's 18g per average serving.
Cube rating: 3 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE:
The best way to ensure a low sugar option is by mixing fresh oats with nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds and freshly chopped fruit. It takes less than a minute and is fresher and more nutritious.
WHOLEMEAL BREAD
White and wholemeal breads can contain 8g to 10g of sugar per loaf. Kingsmill Gold Wholemeal Bread, for example, contains 1.4g of sugar per slice.
Cube rating: Less than 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Look for bread with less added sugar, made of wholemeal flour and no added sugar, or ryebread.
LOW-FAT YOGHURTS
With the average low-fat fruit yogurt containing 17.9g of sugar in every 100g, these are not a low-calorie option. Safeway's Low Fat Yogurt with hazlenut contains 17.1g of sugar per 100g and 25.7g per pot.
Cube rating: 5
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: There are many plain, low-fat yogurts available. Adding your own fruit can sweeten the taste, with sugar provided as fructose which contains nutrients, not empty calories.
HIGH-FIBRE CEREALS
Most people think of high-fibre cereals as savoury foods, but up to a quarter of their weight can be sugar. Kellogg's Fruit 'n' Fibre and All Bran contain around 15g of sugar per average serving. The sugar content of Kellogg's Special K weighs in at 17g per 100g or 8.5g per 50g serving.
Cube rating: 2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: The most reliable way to ensure your cereal is low-sugar is to make your own (see muesli below) and add a few tablespoons of bran flakes.
SAUCE/SALAD CREAM
Ketchups are sugar-rich, with Heinz Tomato Ketchup containing 23.6g sugar per 100g or 2.6g per serving. Heinz salad cream, containing 17.5g of sugar per 100g, shows that the average salad cream is a rich hidden source of sugar.
Cube rating: 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Heinz Sundried Tomato Ketchup is a tastier, lower sugar alternative to regular ketchup containing only 13g of sugar per 100g. Most salad creams are sugar rich so either limit consumption or make your own sugar-free vinaigrette.
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Rich in antioxidant vitamins, fruit smoothies provide a rich source of sugar, too. PJ's orange, mango and banana smoothie contains 12.6g of sugar per 100ml.
Cube rating: 2 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE:
Vegetable mix juices are lower in sugar and provide more nutrients. Blends such as carrot and beetroot, cucumber or celery are available from juice bars but are beginning to appear in pre-packed ranges, too.
COLESLAW
Salads rich in mayonnaise can also be very high in sugar, and coleslaw is a good example. Sainsbury's Low Fat Coleslaw Salad contains 6.1g of sugar per 100g - that's 15g per 250ml pot. M&S Low-Fat Coleslaw contains a little less, at 5.4g of sugar per 100g.
Cube rating: 2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Compare different brands of coleslaw for sugar content - levels can vary significantly. M&S, for example, does a lower sugar coleslaw containing 3.5g sugar per 100g, half the sugar content of some brands.
I don't eat Digestives, cranberry juice, Muesli, bread, cereal, salad cream, or coleslaw. Yay me.
Yup. Seems weird to suggest that everyone does, especially when the question was about adding sugar ourselves. Also, I have some plain fat free yogurt and its 7 grams of sugar for 100 calories, all of which is lactose. So the warning seems likely to mislead people.
I also have a flavored Greek yogurt with more sugar, but I'm not sure how that qualifies as hidden (unless one is stupid) as it tastes sweet and includes "cane sugar" as an ingredient. Similar comments re the info that sugar is in cookies (I think that's what biscuits are here), and things like baked beans and sweetened cereal. Anyone who claims not to know that is being willfully ignorant. Sigh. (Also, pretty sure sweetness is part of the point of cookies and sweetened things and a dish traditionally made with molasses.)
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I don't like plain yogurt, but my current favorite is vanilla Greek at 13g of sugar and 120 cals. Not bad. Today, including my protein bar and my Sweetgreen salad, I've had a total of 35g of sugar. I'll probably have a salad for dinner (almost out of calories). My MFP "goal" is 51g but I never track it.0
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Lemurcat, just showing the amounts of sugar in common items.0
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Those items are common in the UK, much less so elsewhere. (Which is insane because Digestives OM NOM NOM NOM)
I'll note that you CAN find 100% unsweetened cranberry juice, and it's absolutely delicious when diluted with plain seltzer water. Very refreshing, with Urinary tract benefits, loads of Vit. C, and very little caloric impact.0 -
Where are the crazies on this thread?0
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Most of the refined sugar in my diet comes from foods I or other family members have made from scratch (cookies, cake, granola bars). Even then, it's not a whole lot, although there are also small amounts in the bread and yogurt I eat.0
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Not making any assunptions about anyone's diet. Just thought it was interesting. Nothing more, nothing less.0
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I think when you do a lot of home cooking it is easier to avoid adding sugar but here are some of the products that sugar is found in.
SEMI-SWEET BISCUITS
Semi-sweet biscuits are deceptively high in sugar with an average 22.3g per 100g. McVities Plain Digestive biscuits contain 16.9g sugar per 100g - 5g of sugar per two biscuits.
Cube rating: 1 cube
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Semi-sweet biscuits from health-food shops are significantly lower in sugar than mainstream ranges. However, as almost all biscuits are high in sugar, for a really low-sugar option, your best option is the closest savoury equivalent - oatcakes or crackers topped with a spread or cheese.
CRANBERRY JUICE
Thousands of women rely on cranberry juice for its ability to combat cystitis and bladder infections. Yet the juice is highly sweetened and its medicinal effect comes at a calorific cost - a medium 250ml glass contains a whopping 36.3g of sugar.
Cube rating: 7 cubes
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: As cranberries are naturally bitter, most juices, sauces or spreads are sweetened. You can dilute the juice, but if you want a therapeutic effect without any sugar your best option is to take cranberry capsules as supplements.
BAKED BEANS
Tinned products with tomato sauces are one of the worst hidden sugar culprits. M&S beans have 7.2g of sugar per 100g, so a typical serving would contain 15g of sugar.
Cube rating: 3 cubes
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Opt for fresh spaghetti with tomato puree and vegetables, instead of canned. Organic versions of baked beans in health food shops, and freshly made tomato soups, halve the sugar levels of mainstream brands.
MUESLI
Very nutritious, but many contain high levels of sugar with low-fat options the worst culprits. M&S Count On Us contains 36.1g of sugar per 100g - that's 18g per average serving.
Cube rating: 3 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE:
The best way to ensure a low sugar option is by mixing fresh oats with nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds and freshly chopped fruit. It takes less than a minute and is fresher and more nutritious.
WHOLEMEAL BREAD
White and wholemeal breads can contain 8g to 10g of sugar per loaf. Kingsmill Gold Wholemeal Bread, for example, contains 1.4g of sugar per slice.
Cube rating: Less than 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Look for bread with less added sugar, made of wholemeal flour and no added sugar, or ryebread.
LOW-FAT YOGHURTS
With the average low-fat fruit yogurt containing 17.9g of sugar in every 100g, these are not a low-calorie option. Safeway's Low Fat Yogurt with hazlenut contains 17.1g of sugar per 100g and 25.7g per pot.
Cube rating: 5
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: There are many plain, low-fat yogurts available. Adding your own fruit can sweeten the taste, with sugar provided as fructose which contains nutrients, not empty calories.
HIGH-FIBRE CEREALS
Most people think of high-fibre cereals as savoury foods, but up to a quarter of their weight can be sugar. Kellogg's Fruit 'n' Fibre and All Bran contain around 15g of sugar per average serving. The sugar content of Kellogg's Special K weighs in at 17g per 100g or 8.5g per 50g serving.
Cube rating: 2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: The most reliable way to ensure your cereal is low-sugar is to make your own (see muesli below) and add a few tablespoons of bran flakes.
SAUCE/SALAD CREAM
Ketchups are sugar-rich, with Heinz Tomato Ketchup containing 23.6g sugar per 100g or 2.6g per serving. Heinz salad cream, containing 17.5g of sugar per 100g, shows that the average salad cream is a rich hidden source of sugar.
Cube rating: 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Heinz Sundried Tomato Ketchup is a tastier, lower sugar alternative to regular ketchup containing only 13g of sugar per 100g. Most salad creams are sugar rich so either limit consumption or make your own sugar-free vinaigrette.
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Rich in antioxidant vitamins, fruit smoothies provide a rich source of sugar, too. PJ's orange, mango and banana smoothie contains 12.6g of sugar per 100ml.
Cube rating: 2 1/2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE:
Vegetable mix juices are lower in sugar and provide more nutrients. Blends such as carrot and beetroot, cucumber or celery are available from juice bars but are beginning to appear in pre-packed ranges, too.
COLESLAW
Salads rich in mayonnaise can also be very high in sugar, and coleslaw is a good example. Sainsbury's Low Fat Coleslaw Salad contains 6.1g of sugar per 100g - that's 15g per 250ml pot. M&S Low-Fat Coleslaw contains a little less, at 5.4g of sugar per 100g.
Cube rating: 2
LOW-SUGAR ALTERNATIVE: Compare different brands of coleslaw for sugar content - levels can vary significantly. M&S, for example, does a lower sugar coleslaw containing 3.5g sugar per 100g, half the sugar content of some brands.Lemurcat, just showing the amounts of sugar in common items.Not making any assunptions about anyone's diet. Just thought it was interesting. Nothing more, nothing less.
Leena, come on now.
We both (and all) know you did not go to all the trouble compiling that list just because you thought it was interesting, especially since you provide low sugar alternatives to each food you listed as high sugar. You indeed are making assumptions about other people's diets, as well as saying in a roundabout way that your choices in those foods are superior because they are lower sugar.
Those alternatives are your preferences only and are in no way better than the foods with higher sugar. In fact, just because you eat those alternatives does not mean you are any healthier than the person who eats foods with higher sugar content. It just means you have made different food choices. And, while those food choices may be right for you, they are not right for everyone.
Sugar is not good or bad, it's all about moderation and a balanced dietary plan.0 -
Leena, come on now. We both (and all) know you did not go to all the trouble compiling that list just because you thought it was interesting, especially since you provide low sugar alternatives to each food you listed as high sugar. You indeed are making assumptions about other people's diets, as well as saying in a roundabout way that your choices in those foods are superior because they are lower sugar.
Those alternatives are your preferences only and are in no way better than the foods with higher sugar. In fact, just because you eat those alternatives does not mean you are any healthier than the person who eats foods with higher sugar content. It just means you have made different food choices. And, while those food choices may be right for you, they are not right for everyone.
Sugar is not good or bad, it's all about moderation and a balanced dietary plan.
SLL Runner, it is a cut and paste job, 30 seconds tops. Don't eat any of the above. Just thought it was interesting how much sugar was in it. As I said, nothing more, nothing less. Could give you the link but it is hardly a ground breaking study worthy of the Nobel Prize.
And as for "You indeed are making assumptions about other people's diets, as well as saying in a roundabout way that your choices in those foods are superior because they are lower sugar."
The assumptions are all yours. Knock yourself out analysing my thoughts. It is amusing but a total waste of your time.0 -
Found it, just in case you want to read the whole report.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-126977/Secret-sugar-shock0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »One of my favorite foods has sugar in it!
LOL! QFT!!!!
I eat refined sugar pretty darn often. Though when I'm staying on track, its a very small part of my diet.
I think it's pretty tough to stay completely away from refined sugars. Especially when you consider that many packaged foods have some added.0 -
Charlottesometimes23 wrote: »I agree. I wonder what it's based on.
15% of your daily calories
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1181259
Ta. That's a very informative post.
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Found it, just in case you want to read the whole report.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-126977/Secret-sugar-shock
Lol, daily mail. Nothing like a completely disreputable tabloid to use as a source for a serious discussion. If these are the sources you believe in, no wonder you're struggling to understand facts and reality.0 -
Leena, come on now. We both (and all) know you did not go to all the trouble compiling that list just because you thought it was interesting, especially since you provide low sugar alternatives to each food you listed as high sugar. You indeed are making assumptions about other people's diets, as well as saying in a roundabout way that your choices in those foods are superior because they are lower sugar.
Those alternatives are your preferences only and are in no way better than the foods with higher sugar. In fact, just because you eat those alternatives does not mean you are any healthier than the person who eats foods with higher sugar content. It just means you have made different food choices. And, while those food choices may be right for you, they are not right for everyone.
Sugar is not good or bad, it's all about moderation and a balanced dietary plan.
SLL Runner, it is a cut and paste job, 30 seconds tops. Don't eat any of the above. Just thought it was interesting how much sugar was in it. As I said, nothing more, nothing less. Could give you the link but it is hardly a ground breaking study worthy of the Nobel Prize.
And as for "You indeed are making assumptions about other people's diets, as well as saying in a roundabout way that your choices in those foods are superior because they are lower sugar."
The assumptions are all yours. Knock yourself out analysing my thoughts. It is amusing but a total waste of your time.
Leena, your postings clearly indicate you are strong anti-refined-sugar, and then you post a list of sugary foods and comparisons. That seems a pretty strong message. There is not analyzing you thoughts, but I am calling you out on your words. On a message board, words say it all, and that list is extensive and comparative.
I don't care whether you or anyone else is anti-sugar, but I do care when misinformation is spread about refined sugar being poison, evil, or not good for you (I'm not saying you said sugar is all three of those things, but you clearly say it's not good for you).
Setting aside medical conditions, the only "not good for you" sugar has is the "not for good for you" people give it.
Everything in moderation.0 -
tigersword wrote: »Found it, just in case you want to read the whole report.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-126977/Secret-sugar-shock
Lol, daily mail. Nothing like a completely disreputable tabloid to use as a source for a serious discussion.
Daily mail. They will print anything, even if it's not true.
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Like white flour, refined sugar won't kill you. The problem results from the ability of the body to rapidly digest the starches and sugars causing extreme insulin responses. Eventually the body heads toward insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Also, such things have had most if not all beneficial nutritional aspects removed. You are best off keeping your ingestion of these things to a minimum.
You CANNOT go truly sugar-free unless you stop eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, etc. A 100% meat diet could be sugar free but it WOULD eventually kill you.
Try to get most of your sugars from whole fruits (not juices) and vegetables and you will find the health you are looking for but don't be miserable. As Mary Poppins sang, "Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down."0 -
I think you are all reading far to much into a crappy cut and past job from the Daily Mail.
And SSLRunner, what's this 'calling me out on my words'
I said "I think when you do a lot of home cooking it is easier to avoid adding sugar but here are some of the products that sugar is found in."
Certainly nothing earth shattering there.
So I suggest you give it a rest and move on as I am going to do.0 -
I think you are all reading far to much into a crappy cut and past job from the Daily Mail.
And Lemurr, what's this 'calling me out on my words'
I said "I think when you do a lot of home cooking it is easier to avoid adding sugar but here are some of the products that sugar is found in."
Certainly nothing earth shattering there.
So I suggest you give it a rest and move on as I am going to do.
You have addressed the wrong person. I am the one who said that. I'm pretty sure I clarified that, but if not then it means our words are the communication mode on an internet forum. 0 -
Thanks SLLRunner, I did indeed address the wrong person. Ooops A quick edit has fixed that.
Sorry Lemur.0
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