17 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar

Yogurt can be highly nutritious. However, not all yogurt is created equal.

Like many other low fat products, low fat yogurts often contain added sugar to enhance their flavor.

For example, a single cup (245 grams) of low fat yogurt can contain over 45 grams of sugar, which is about 11 teaspoons. This is more than the daily limit for men and women in just a single cup (7).

Furthermore, low fat yogurt doesn’t seem to have the same health benefits as full fat yogurt (8, 9, 10).

When you’re choosing yogurt, look for those that contain the least amount of added sugar. Also, choosing one without fruit and adding your own allows you to control its sugar content and increase its nutritional value.

Barbecue (BBQ) sauce can make a tasty marinade or dip.

However, 2 tablespoons (around 28 grams) of sauce can contain around 9 grams of sugar. This is over 2 teaspoons worth (11).

In fact, around 33% of the weight of BBQ sauce may be pure sugar (11).

If you’re liberal with your servings, this makes it easy to consume a lot of sugar without meaning to.

To make sure you aren’t getting too much, check the labels and choose the sauce with the least amount of added sugar. Also, remember to watch your portion size.

Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments worldwide, but — like BBQ sauce — it’s often loaded with sugar.

Try to be mindful of your portion size when using ketchup, and remember that a single tablespoon of ketchup contains nearly 1 teaspoon of sugar (12).

Like whole fruit, fruit juice contains some vitamins and minerals.

However, when choosing a fruit juice, pick one that’s labeled 100% fruit juice, as sugar-sweetened versions can come with a large dose of sugar and very little fiber.

In fact, there can be just as much sugar in sugar-sweetened fruit juice as there is in a sugary drink like Coke. The poor health outcomes that have been linked to sugary soda may likewise be linked to fruit juices with added sugar (13, 14, 15).

Choose whole fruit or 100% fruit juice when possible, and minimize your intake of sugar-sweetened fruit juices.

Added sugars are often hidden in foods that we don’t even consider to be sweet, such as spaghetti sauce.

All spaghetti sauces will contain some natural sugar given that they’re made with tomatoes.

However, many spaghetti sauces contain added sugar as well.

The best way to ensure you aren’t getting any unwanted sugar in your pasta sauce is to make your own.

However, if you need to buy premade spaghetti sauce, check the label and pick one that either doesn’t have sugar on the ingredient list or has it listed very close to the bottom. This indicates that it’s not a major ingredient.

Sports drinks can often be mistaken as a healthy choice for those who exercise.

However, sports drinks are designed to hydrate and fuel trained athletes during prolonged, intense periods of exercise.

For this reason, they contain high amounts of added sugars that can be quickly absorbed and used for energy.

In fact, a standard 20-ounce (591-mL) bottle of a sports drink will contain 32.5 grams of added sugar and 161 calories. This is equivalent to 9 teaspoons of sugar (16).

Sports drinks are therefore categorized as sugary drinks. Like soda and sugar-sweetened fruit juice, they’ve also been linked to obesity and metabolic disease (17, 18, 19).

Unless you’re a marathon runner or elite athlete, you should probably just stick to water while exercising. It’s by far the best choice for most of us.

Chocolate milk is milk that has been flavored with cocoa and sweetened with sugar.

Milk itself is a very nutritious drink. It’s a rich source of nutrients that are great for bone health, including calcium and protein.

However, despite having all the nutritious qualities of milk, 1 cup (250 grams) of chocolate milk comes with almost 12 extra grams (2.9 teaspoons) of added sugar (20, 21).

Granola is often marketed as a low fat health food, despite being high in both calories and sugar.

The main ingredient in granola is oats. Plain rolled oats are a well-balanced cereal containing carbs, protein, fat, and fiber.

However, the oats in granola have been combined with nuts and honey or other added sweeteners, which increases the amount of sugar and calories.

In fact, 100 grams of granola can contain around 400–500 calories and nearly 5–7 teaspoons of sugar (22, 23).

If you like granola, try choosing one with less added sugar or making your own. You can also add it as a topping to fruit or yogurt rather than pouring a whole bowl.

Flavored coffee is a popular trend, but the amount of hidden sugars in these drinks can be staggering.

In some coffeehouse chains, a large flavored coffee or coffee drink can contain 45 grams of sugar, if not much more. That’s equivalent to about 11 teaspoons of added sugar per serving (24, 25).

Considering the strong link between sugary drinks and poor health, it’s probably best to stick to coffee without any flavored syrups or added sugar.

Iced tea is usually sweetened with sugar or flavored with syrup.

It’s popular in various forms and flavors around the world, so its sugar content can vary slightly.

Most commercially prepared iced teas will contain around 35 grams of sugar per 12-ounce (340-mL) serving. This is about the same as a bottle of Coke (26, 27).

If you like tea, pick regular tea or choose iced tea that doesn’t have any sugars added.

Protein bars are a popular snack.

Foods that contain protein have been linked to increased feelings of fullness, which can aid weight loss (28, 29).

This has led people to believe that protein bars are a healthy snack.

While there are some healthier protein bars on the market, many contain around 20 grams of added sugar, making their nutritional content similar to that of a candy bar (30).

When choosing a protein bar, read the label and avoid those that are high in sugar. You can also eat a high protein food such as yogurt instead.

Soup isn’t a food that you generally associate with sugar.

When it’s made with fresh whole ingredients, it’s a healthy choice and can be a great way to increase your vegetable consumption without much effort.

The vegetables in soups have naturally occurring sugars, which are fine to eat given that they’re usually present in small amounts and alongside lots of other beneficial nutrients.

However, many commercially prepared soups have a lot of added ingredients, including sugar.

To check for added sugars in your soup, look at the ingredient list for names such as:

• sucrose
• barley malt
• dextrose
• maltose
• high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other syrups

The higher up on the list an ingredient is, the higher its content in the product. Watch out for when manufacturers list small amounts of different sugars, as that’s another sign the product could be high in total sugar.

Cereal is a popular, quick, and easy breakfast food.

However, the cereal you choose could greatly affect your sugar consumption, especially if you eat it every day.

Some breakfast cereals, even those marketed to children, have lots of added sugar. Some contain 12 grams, or 3 teaspoons of sugar in a small 34-gram (1.2-ounce) serving (31).

Check the label and try choosing a cereal that’s high in fiber and low in added sugar.

Better yet, wake up a few minutes earlier and cook a quick healthy breakfast with a high protein food like eggs, as eating protein for breakfast can help you lose weight.

For on-the-go breakfasts, cereal bars can seem like a healthy and convenient choice.

However, like other “health bars,” cereal bars are often just candy bars in disguise. Many contain very little fiber or protein and are loaded with added sugar.

All fruit contains natural sugars. However, some canned fruit is peeled and preserved in sugary syrup. This processing strips the fruit of its fiber and adds a lot of unnecessary sugar to what should be a healthy snack.

The canning process can also destroy heat-sensitive vitamin C, although most other nutrients are well preserved.

Whole, fresh fruit is best. If you want to eat canned fruit, look for one that has been preserved in juice rather than syrup. Juice has a slightly lower sugar content.

Baked beans are another savory food that’s often surprisingly high in sugar.

One cup (254 grams) of regular baked beans contains about 5 teaspoons of sugar (32).

If you like baked beans, you can choose low sugar versions. They can contain about half the amount of sugar found in their full sugar counterparts.

Blending fruits with milk or yogurt in the morning to make yourself a smoothie can be a great way to start your day.

However, not all smoothies are healthy.

Many commercially produced smoothies come in large sizes and can be sweetened with ingredients like ice cream or syrup. This increases their sugar content.

Some of them contain ridiculously high amounts of calories and sugar, with over 50 grams (13 teaspoons) of sugar in a single 16- or 20-ounce (473- or 591-mL) serving (33, 34, 35, 36, 37).

For a healthy smoothie, check the ingredient content and be mindful of your portion size.

Added sugars aren’t a necessary part of your diet. Although small amounts are fine, they can cause serious harm if you consume large amounts on a regular basis.

The best way to avoid hidden sugars in your meals is to make them at home so you know exactly what’s in them.

However, if you need to buy prepackaged food, make sure you check the label to identify any hidden added sugars, especially when buying foods from this list.