Red Wine Vinaigrette Salad Dressing - 8 grams of sugar per 2 Tablespoons.
When dousing a salad with dressing, few give thought to the amount of sugar being applied to the otherwise healthy bed of vegetables.
Light Cranberry Juice - 33 grams of sugar per 8 oz.
This tart and tangy juice tastes anything but sweet. However, its sugar content is not to be trifled with.
Raisins - 29 grams of sugar per ¼ cup.
Before consuming fistfuls of these dried grapes, be mindful of the label.
Microwavable Tomato Soup - 18 grams of sugar per 1 cup.
Sugar? In soup? You bet.
Spaghetti Sauce - 11 grams of sugar per ½ cup.
We all knew that pasta is high in carbohydrates, but a sneaky sugar culprit is the sauce itself.
Vanilla Soy Milk - 11 grams of sugar per serving.
Health food stores popularized this milk alternative, but the sugar content is something to pay attention to as well.
Frozen Strawberries- 70 grams of sugar per 1 cup
When purchasing these frozen berries , make sure that only one ingredient is listed: “strawberries.”
Ketchup - 4 grams of sugar per serving
Sugar may the last thing on your mind when slathering a hamburger with this condiment, but think again.
Fruit On The Bottom Yogurt - 40 grams of sugar per 8 oz. container
Yogurt has been marketed as a healthy snack, however few think to check the label for sugar.
Honey - 17 grams of sugar per 1 Tablespoon.
Often used in place of sugar, this substitute still has a very high sugar content.
LOL! nah… An elderly man in the store told me a few years ago when he was watching me read labels… “diabetic and new to it?” me “yup” Him "Forget it honey, If it tastes good; you can’t have it."
that’s ok. I’ve found new foods to like and some old that I can have too:)
Huggles
MeadowLark
Ocean Spray Light Cranberry has 10 grams of carbs per 8 oz. and regular cranberry juice has 30 grams. Not sure where the 33 grams figure came from . . .
I am so used to reading labels now that it’s automatic.
A few years ago I started limiting my sodium consumption and man oh man, the places with hidden salt will really surprise you too. Even diet Jello has salt in it.
I would change the title of the article from Sugar Shockers: Seemingly Safe Foods That Aren’t to Sugar Shockers: Food That Has More Sugar Than You Might Expect.
I don’t see any of those foods (or any other foods with X amount of carbs) as being unsafe, as long as they are incorporated into your requirements for your diet.
I very much agree with Always Be Mindful of the (nurtitional) Label.
Corn syrup is worse then sugar in my opionion. I almost died from eating less then 1 tablespoon of ketchup on 15 french fries. It is full of corn syrup.
An “entry-level info” list like this might well be very useful to someone new to diabetes, who is still learning what’s what. The food list I got from my CDE shortly after I was diagnosed included several items from Richard’s list, along with things like “low GI” pasta and tortillas, whole grain cereal bars and other carb-loaded items. If I’d followed her advice it would’ve taken me a lot longer to get my BG under control, assuming I was ever able to!
What I got out of Richard’s post is a reminder to pay attention to what I eat, and always read the label (if there is one). Useful advice for any diabetic, I’d say!
I agree with Arielle – the best way to know exactly what you’re eating, is to make it yourself! I think I’ve shared this link before, but this website is so useful I’ll post it again:
You enter the ingredients and amounts in your recipe, and the number of servings, and the site generates a nutrition label per serving of the recipe. It also breaks it out into a separate nutrition label for each ingredient – so you can find out exactly where the carbs are coming from and adjust your recipe, if you like.
Sometimes, though, I just don’t feel like cooking – and on those days I’m grateful for nutrition labeling that allows me to make healthier choices in pre-packaged foods. I’ll never forget the day I checked the label on a can of my favorite petite peas, and found out they were full of added sugar! And I’d thought I was being “good” by eating my veggies.
Just one of the reasons we have eliminated “low fat” products from our diet is because in many cases the fat is replaced by carbs in the form of corn syrup and/or sugar.
One thing I noticed and learned to stear clear of is those “FAT FREE” items. Most of those have more sugar and often more carbs than the full sugar full fat versions.
Other things that will freak you out is medicines/suppliments/laxatives.
I agree Read the Label, and measure measure measure.
We count carbs, and my niece does eat sugar. But you are absolutely correct. Most people do not realize the amount of sugar in catsup. You need to bolus for the carbs in catsup. My niece does eat flavored yogurt, the Go-gurts, fruit mixed in, and has this habit of only eating one flavor, one brand of chicken soup. Won’t touch home-made. We do often use canned spagetti sauce, but we are looking at the carb count, not sugar in it. We do not restrict sugar, but carbs. We do use portion control with sweets, much like someone on the Weight Watcher’s diet might. You really don’t get a whole lot of sugar or carbohydrate when your carb limit for the meal is 65 grams. My brother has a heart problem and has to restrict Sodium. Now that is a restriction I would find hard to live with. There is salt in everything!
P.S. White bread, even white bread without sugar, will turn to sugar right in your mouth, as you chew it. A chocolate brownie, even though not good because of the fat content, will raise her blood sugar slower and less than a slice of plain white bread. Icecream is great; she never spikes above 140 with it and Novolog covers it so I don’t have to “feed that insulin” at the three hour mark. Go figure!
Thanks Richard for creating such a buzz… That in my opinion is how we learn. There is nothing like working that ole brain. For me The sugar shockers when dxd were fresh fruits and veggies… I love bananas-but they do not love me back. even if i bolus correctly this is one food that will just stay forever in my system… And sweetpotater thanks for the link how useful
Odd, because the 2 Diabetic educators I went to said I didn’t eat enough carbs, and I need "carbs, carbs, carbs!"
The last one said to “Build your meals around your carbs” and only eat 4-6oz of protein a day. I thought she meant 4-6 ounces per meal, but she showed me in print. She said you don’t need very much protein at all, but you need carbs. And she doesn’t count veggies as carbs.
There are so vey many educators and dietitians who tell diabetics that, but they are wrong!!! I eat 130g of carbs per day and my weight and blood sugar are stable. If I eat more than 130g then I start gaining weight and then have to increase my insulin. I tried to reduce to 100g carbs but I had much less energy and grew tired too quickly. Maybe I should have reduced in smaller amounts and given myself more time to adjust. 130 is just right for me. i hno sveral diabetics who eat less than 100g of carbs per day and they get along just fine. They have energy and good control. They are also losing weight. Of course, exercising is equally important. I walk 2.5 miles outdoors every day or use my treadmill.
I have found some yogurt at the store that tastes good and is low in carbs. I think it’s Weight Watchers yogurt and Light ‘n’ Fit by Dannon are two I love to eat!
