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Health and wellness have become significant buzz topics lately. Nevertheless, the excitement surrounding certain foods has overshadowed the truth, with some foods considered healthy actually being sugar bombs in disguise.
Sugar is present in many popular health foods – even those that don’t taste particularly sweet. According to Melissa Jaegar, RD, LD, Head of Nutrition at MyFitnessPal, the most common offenders are items such as salad dressings, marinades, granola bars, and ready meals. We’re often told that breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day, and if you subscribe to this belief, then you likely aim to start your day off healthily.
But according to Melissa, certain popular breakfast choices are actually hidden “sugar bombs”.
She stated, “Acai bowls exemplify how foods marketed as ‘healthy’ may actually be hidden sugar bombs, lacking the sustained energy your body requires. Acai berries themselves don’t contain free sugars and are rich in antioxidants that protect our body’s cells from damage.
“However, commercial acai bowls often feature high amounts of added sugars from components like honey, agave, sweetened granola, or nut butter, sometimes surpassing 20 grams of free sugars per serving.”
This sugary overload can cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired and hungry within hours.
Melissa’s second hidden sugar bomb is flavoured yoghurts.
She added, “This common smoothie ingredient or standalone snack option could contain more free sugars than anticipated. It’s crucial to examine nutrition facts labels and ingredients lists of your yogurt to ensure it has ‘live and active cultures’ for probiotic benefits while seeking options with minimal or zero free sugars.
“Rather than choosing flavoured varieties, opt for plain Greek yogurt and concoct your own flavors by incorporating nutrient-dense ingredients like whole fruit for extra fibre, vitamins, and minerals or topping with nuts and seeds for additional protein and healthy fats.”
Melissa urged people to properly read through labels and understand the different ways manufacturers hide sugars.
She said: “Manufacturers often use different names for free sugars like ‘rice syrup’, ‘golden syrup,’ or ‘evaporated cane juice’ to make them less obvious.”
