How does a sandwich end up with sugar?

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kickinmom
kickinmom Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just got done entering my occasional Chick Fil A lunch: chargrilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and about 1/8 of the dressing packet. Then saw to my surprise that I am over the recommended sugar intake for the day. The sandwich has 9g of sugar! How?!? I guess I'll stick to just the patty going forward... (sigh)

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  • scruggsdl
    scruggsdl Posts: 9 Member
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    Not sure, but it is my understanding that the carbs pretty much all wind up being sugar or glucose as well.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    There's some in th bread. There may be some in whatever they use to coat the chicken.

    Unless you have sugar issues there is no reason to worry too much about the sugar number. I don't track it at all - just carbs, protein, fat and calories. Sugar = carbs. If you're tracking carbs you don't need to track sugar separately.

    If you're eating less calories than you burn you will lose weight.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    There is sugar in the bread and any dressings you have (salad and sandwich). There may also be some in any seasonings they use for the meats.

    Sugar isn't always a bad thing.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    It's probably a glaze on the chicken in addition to sugar in the bun. If it's occasional, probably not something to fret about.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    For me, I just sprinkle it on with a spoon. Peanut butter and brown sugar sandwiches. A staple. Yum.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Just got done entering my occasional Chick Fil A lunch: chargrilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and about 1/8 of the dressing packet. Then saw to my surprise that I am over the recommended sugar intake for the day. The sandwich has 9g of sugar! How?!? I guess I'll stick to just the patty going forward... (sigh)

    The brine and the roll

    No reason to freak about sugar intake unless you have a medical condition that requires it to be kept under wraps
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Most likely from the bun.
  • thealexbeard
    thealexbeard Posts: 10
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    Part of Chick-Fil-A's secret breading is that it contains sugar. That's why it's so delicious and has that sweet crunch to it. I don't know how much it contains exactly, so I can't say how it would affect your sugar intake.
  • kickinmom
    kickinmom Posts: 24 Member
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    I seldom eat the breaded sandwiches - always grilled. That's why the sugar freaked me out. I need to quit micromanaging though; it's making me GAIN not lose.
  • LindsNW05
    LindsNW05 Posts: 36 Member
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    It's in the bun/bread, in order for the bread/bun to rise the yeast has to have sugar to "feed" off of.


    Why Does Yeast Need Sugar?
    Answer
    Yeast needs sugar to grow; this means that yeast needs sugar or glucose to be able to thrive and produce energy. It consumes sugars, either added or in the flour itself in the process the yeast cells produces ethanol and carbon dioxide bubbles. These bubbles are the ones that result in the bread or flour rising.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Bread and salad dressing.
  • chinatbag
    chinatbag Posts: 249 Member
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    If you go to a grocery store, look at the nutritional information on bread, I think the 2nd or 3rd ingredient is sugar.

    Also, opt for the non-fat free dressing (yes, this is not a typo). Fat free dressing ends up usually having more carbs in order to create the viscosity that is dressing.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
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    Fast food is engineered to be as addictive as they can get away with, and sugar is a biggie in making this happen (salt, fat, and MSG-type chemicals are some others, if they are trying to pretend to be "healthy" by reducing fat they will likely more than make up for it with sugar/HFCS). McD's does the same type of thing. This was not the tiny amount of sugar needed to help bread rise, this was enough to put the OP over the daily sugar limit.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
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    Sugar in the bun. Sugar in the veggies. Sugar in the mayo.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    If your hitting your caloric intake and macro's then I wouldn't worry about the sugar....... I am a Type 2 Diabetic and have never tracked a single gram of sugar through 312 lbs. of weight loss.... Best of Luck
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
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    Just got done entering my occasional Chick Fil A lunch: chargrilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and about 1/8 of the dressing packet. Then saw to my surprise that I am over the recommended sugar intake for the day. The sandwich has 9g of sugar! How?!? I guess I'll stick to just the patty going forward... (sigh)

    Things that have a nice crispy fry on them, fry better with a spritz of sugar. McDonald's French fries do this. Grilling isn't any different in that regard, actually. Browning works better with a little sugar/starch. To have thos nice grill marks, there's probably a little sugar involved in there somewhere (not necessary, but it makes it easier.)

    Add in the sugar that's in the bread.

    Plus the sugar that's probably in the salad dressing and, yeah, it isn't difficult to get 9g of sugar.

    Most of that sugar isn't *necessary*. It's certainly possible to have a chicken sandwich and salad without it, or with significantly less. But people are hardwired to like sugar and Chik-Fil-A wants to sell food. Sugar is a flavor enhancer and they have no reason not to enhance away.

    If you're eating fast food, you're eating flavor enhancers (extra sugar and sodium).

    On their side, why wouldn't they? It makes the food more attractive to buyers.

    As a consumer, you have to decide whether you want that added sugar and sodium or not.

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