When I think of the most decadent, fattening food I can eat, my mind doesn't go to the high-priced, frou frou chocolate éclair or the rich and creamy New York cheesecake. No, I think more along the lines of pure sugar, cream, and processed chemical goodness that comes in a pretty plastic wrapper: the all-American Twinkie.
I love those little rolls of heaven, but they definitely don't love me. That's because just one Twinkie has a whopping 18 grams of sugar, which knocks out nearly 100 percent of my daily sugar quota in one fell swoop. So I steer clear of my favorite dessert and reach for healthier foods instead. If I'm craving something sweet after lunch, I make a fro-yo run; if I'm still feeling hungry after dinner, I have a bowl of cereal.
But here's the thing: Karen Ansel, MS, RD, co-author of "The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life," says some of the "healthy" picks at your grocery store have more sugar than your off-limits desserts. In fact, things like whole wheat bread, yogurt, and granola have more grams of sugar than the ubiquitous Twinkie.
And the real danger comes not just because we eat these fattening foods, but because we think they're healthy, says Ansel. "Everything is OK in moderation," she says. But of course, when we think a food is good for us, we tend to snack with abandon. The result? An ever-expanding waistline.
While the "healthy" daily amount of sugar is up for hot debate right now (the World Health Organization says added sugar should make up no more than 10 percent of your daily caloric intake; the American Heart Association says it should only make up 4 percent), all experts agree we're consuming too much of the white stuff. The AHA says added sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar found in sodas, desserts, and other processed foods are responsible for Americans' overall increase in calorie consumption and the subsequent rise in obesity.
Over the past 30 years, Americans have consumed an average of 150 to 300 more calories per day than we used to -- and we haven't increased our physical activity. And experts say most of these extra cals are coming from added sugars. It's no wonder more than two-thirds of us are battling obesity.
To stay in your skinny jeans, watch out for these "healthy" (read: high-sugar and highly fattening) foods.
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Older comments
Some of these came as a real shock to me--thanks!
by GigiSD Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 01:23PM Report as inappropriate
Wow. Some of this information was surprising. Some of these foods though I can't give up. Yogurt and Special K are delicious!
by NillaButterfly Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 02:19PM Report as inappropriate
This was very interesting... too bad about the smoothies and pasta sauce!!
by jennifer_erb Friday, March 15, 2013 at 03:20PM Report as inappropriate
Oh wow good to know
by LittleBunny Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 05:41PM Report as inappropriate
Good info, but people should just check the nutrition information and then this wouldn't be such a surprise:)
by amber.flute Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 04:19PM Report as inappropriate
Love yogurt, can't give that up. That's my nightly snack!
by EricaC123 Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 02:47PM Report as inappropriate
Sad about the spaghetti sauce, but that's not exactly a "snack" though.
by Chris213 Friday, November 9, 2012 at 06:27AM Report as inappropriate
Oh no i love jamba juice.
by andyv1217 Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 09:50PM Report as inappropriate
I had no idea Jamba Juice had so much sugar! I mean, I knew it couldn't actually be good for me, but I thought it was at least a little good.
by schien Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 03:55PM Report as inappropriate
Great Inf very informative...
by Monica34 Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 04:25PM Report as inappropriate