Sugar is everywhere, be more aware of what you eat

You may think you're eating healthier, but mounds of sugar lurk in surprising places. Diets with excess sugar can raise your cholesterol levels and blood pressure, increase your risk of heart disease and potentially evolve into an addiction that’s hard to shake. Also, some researchers now believe that diets high in sugar are actually toxic to the heart, the liver and one's overall health.

The American Heart Association recommends that adult women consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugars per day. For men, the limit is nine teaspoons. When scanning food nutrition labels, you can read 4 grams of sugar as equal to about one teaspoon. But be aware that labels typically lump natural sugars (fruit, grains) together with added sugars (corn syrup, sucrose), so check a product's ingredient list closely to get a better sense of the sugar it carries in all its various forms: granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, agave nectar, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane syrup and anything else ending in "ose." People can debate the health benefits of honey or natural sweeteners over refined white table sugar, but the bottom line is that to the body, sugar is sugar. And too much is too much. (As for sugar substitutes, they're technically chemicals that mimic the taste of sugar. As with the real stuff, moderation is key.)

Here’s a look at some surprising sources of sugar in your diet, as well as tips on cutting back.

1. Frozen Meals

You may be pleased to discover lower-fat, lighter fare among the meals in your supermarket's frozen food aisle. The problem is, when companies ditch the fat, they often pump up flavor by adding inexpensive sugars instead. In fact, many frozen meals rival candy when it comes to sugar content.   

 How to cut the sugar: Scour the aisles for frozen meals that aren't packaged with sugary sauces and desserts. Or, even better, avoid the packaged meals (which also tend to be packed with sodium) altogether. Beware: When those protein sources are packed in broths, sauces or spicy rubs, they may be loaded with salt. 

 2. Salad Dressing

Food companies already stir lots of sweetener,  into vinaigrettes and other salad dressings. A two-tablespoon serving of Kraft Creamy French Salad Dressing, for example, delivers about one-and-a-half teaspoons (6 grams) of sugar. Use a quarter-cup of dressing, and you’re sweetening your salad with a full tablespoon of sugar. Devoted to light or fat-free dressings? Count on finding lots of sugar in those as well

How to cut the sugar: First, read the labels better and seek out salad dressings with 0 to 2 grams of sugar per serving. Or just buy good quality oils and vinegars and make the easiest, tastiest dressing on the planet: vinaigrette. Here’s a traditional recipe, or you can try this lighter version. You’ll never go back to bottled dressings — or their sweeteners — again. 

 3. Cereals

You already know that Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs and other childhood favorites carry too much sugar for your adult palate (not to mention the kids'). So you’re diligently stocking up on what appear to be healthier cereals filled with whole grains, vitamins and antioxidants. But guess what else they're filled with?  Post Great Grains Cranberry Almond Crunch provides all of its promised whole grain — with exactly the same amount of sugar per serving as Fruit Loops. Similar scenarios can be found on nutrition labels up and down the cereal aisle; high-fiber and bran varieties are among the worst offenders. 

 How to cut the sugar: Stick with simple cereals — plain, whole-grain flakes, circles or squares that have four to five grams of sugar, or less, per serving. (Keep in mind, though, that if you have two servings you'll be doubling that sugar intake.) Some options include Post Shredded Wheat or Shredded Wheat ‘n Bran, which has no sugar at all. To make your breakfast bowl sweet, add (in moderation) some raisins or dried cranberries.

 4. Pasta Sauce

Italian cooks sometimes add a pinch of sugar to a pot of marinara to soften the natural acidity of tomatoes. But some food companies have turned a pinch into a punch by dropping as much as one or two teaspoons of sugar into each half-cup of their sauces. You can expect about three grams of natural sugar from the tomatoes in each half-cup of marinara. Anything more than that is added sweetener.

 How to cut the sugar: Try make your own version  using plain canned crushed tomatoes.

5. Flavored Yogurts

Plain, low-fat yogurts are nutritional powerhouses, rich in calcium and high-quality protein. But flavored and "fruit" yogurts contain more sugar than fruit and can negate your healthy goals — they have as much as 16 to 28 grams of sugar (that's four-to-seven teaspoons!) in each serving.  

 How to cut the sugar: It's simple. Just opt for plain reduced-fat  yogurt and add cut-up fresh fruit or unsweetened frozen fruits. Your sweet tooth may require some time to adjust to the more subtle sweetness, but it's well worth the effort. You can also drizzle your dish with a half-teaspoon of honey or maple syrup. That will add two to three grams of sugar, which is still far less than those flavored yogurts provide, plus you can easily cut back on that as you adjust to the less sweetened stuff.

6. Snack Bars

Nothing beats the convenience of a granola or "fitness" bar for on-the-go snacking. The trouble is, many bars are just as sweet (and almost as nutrient-poor) as candy bars. Like many other products in this group, Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars has photos of peanuts, cashews and almonds on its box, and yet three of the first five ingredients on the label are sugars. So it's no surprise that each bar packs three teaspoons of sugar, with just a single gram of fiber, and only three grams of protein.   

 How to cut the sugar: Stick with bars whose labels show just four to five grams of sugar per serving. But it’s just as easy (and cheaper) to grab a few tablespoons of mixed nuts and an apple, or to carry a single-serve pouch of pistachios and a fresh peach.

In other words, whole foods make the best snacks, and they come from Mother Nature.

 How sweet is that?

Why we should all eat less meat!

Give Your Heart a break

Limit the animal-fare and you'll be reducing your likelihood for heart disease, the number-one killer of women. "Fatty red meats and many processed meats are high in saturated fat, which raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and increases risk of coronary heart disease.  Studies have shown that eating high quantities of these meats (e.g. a small steak every day) also increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Reduce Cancer Risk

It's becoming increasingly clear that a meat-cancer connection exists. In one study of more than 35,000 women published in the British Journal of Cancer, those who ate the most red and processed meat were found to have the highest risk of breast cancer. Other research has linked meat consumption to colon, prostate, pancreatic, and gastric cancers as well. One theory, according to non-profit group The Cancer Project, is that foods with high levels of fat artificially boost the hormones that promote cancer.

To Really Go Green

Raising cattle for beef and milk spews more greenhouse gases into the air than all of the cars currently on the road. That stat came from a 2006 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization report, which also found that the livestock industry wreaks havoc on our land and water—taking up vast amounts of scarce resources, and polluting the waterways more than probably any other industry.

Eating a plant-based meal for lunch instead of a burger saves 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 133 gallons of water, and 24 square feet of land, according to the people over at the PB&J Campaign. They've calculated that in just three lunches, you'll have saved more water than you'll save by switching to a low-flow showerhead.

To stay in shape

The meat-weight relationship goes beyond calorie math. A large-scale 2010 study from Imperial College London found that those who ate about 250 grams a day (the size of one half-pound steak) of red meat, poultry, or processed meat gained more weight over five years than those who ate less meat, even if they consumed the same amount of calories overall.

Love thy animals

Animals often suffer greatly in tiny cages, crates, and pens, before enduring frequently cruel slaughter practices. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that if every American cut out meat just once a week, about 1.4 billion animals could be spared each year.

Because It's Easier Now

For just about every meat item on the market, there's a meat-free version that's surprisingly good. From veggie burgers to chick'n nuggets and even corn dogs, you can still indulge in junk meats without going for the real thing. Just remember, even with fake meats, to eat them sparingly—they are often still loaded with sodium.