The 14-Day No Sugar Diet(13)

Barbecue Sauce

Condiments can be tricky, and measuring out portion size isn’t always an option. The next time you order ribs off the menu, keep in mind that just two tablespoons of barbecue sauce can contain upward of 11 grams of sugar. In a restaurant, you can expect that more than four tablespoons are slathered onto a serving of ribs.

Candy

Many people think of fruity fat-free candies like Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, and gummy bears as better-for-you candies, but the truth is they’re just as packed with carbs and sugar as their chocolate counterparts—and in some cases, they actually carry more carbs. For example, a pack of M&M’S Milk Chocolate carries 34 grams of carbs, while a packet of Sour Patch Kids is packed with 52 grams. And just four Twizzlers (which the brand considers a standard serving size) contain 36 grams of carbohydrates. If you’re looking for a lower carb sweet, consider grabbing a handful of Life Savers Gummies. Eight of them have 22 grams of carbs. But you’d be better off with a few grapes or raspberries. Try them frozen.

Canned Fruit Cocktail

Fresh fruit has natural sugars from fructose, so they are most beneficial when you need an extra energy burst. However, there’s no good time to eat canned fruits, which are often packed in high fructose corn syrup. A one-cup serving of canned peaches, for example, can contain upward of 39 grams of sugar. If you need your fruit to last longer, head to the freezer aisle and reach for no-sugar-added varieties that were flash-frozen at the peak of their ripeness.

Canned Soup

You probably know to be wary of sodium in canned soup, but you may not know that many varieties are riddled with sugar, too. Campbell’s Slow Kettle Style Tomato & Sweet Basil Bisque, for example, has 24 grams of sugar per cup. Sure, some of that is coming from the tomatoes, but that’s still a lot of sweetness in which to dunk your grilled cheese.

Chocolate Milk

While its high carbohydrate and protein content often inspires personal trainers to call chocolate milk the perfect recovery drink, it’s still high in sugar. “Dairy contributes naturally occurring lactose, but many brands add sweeteners along with the chocolate flavor,” says Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, of Street Smart Nutrition. “Unless you’re highly active or engaging in intense exercise, those added calories might not provide many benefits.” For daily sipping, reach for a glass of plain low-fat or whole milk and pair it with a small piece of dark chocolate to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Cranberry Sauce

Come Thanksgiving Day, let’s all promise to do without this wobbly, gelatinous, too-sweet sauce. A half cup serving contains 56 grams of carbohydrates and 48 grams of sugars. Turkey Day wouldn’t be the same, you say? Then take a tablespoon only and call it a day.

Energy Bars

Since carbs provide energy, it should come as no surprise that energy bars are loaded with carbohydrates. Still, a lot of people think these health-food imposters are actually good for you. Not so. On average, they contain up to 45 grams of carbohydrates—and are chock full of sugar and scary chemicals, too. They’re basically a triple threat to your health.

Energy Drinks

Most of these so-called performance drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine. Example: One can of Red Bull contains 27 grams of sugar. That’s more than you’d find in six Dunkin Donuts sugar raised donuts.

Flavored Kefir

Drinking kefir is a good way to boost good-for-you gut bacteria. But stick to the unflavored kind. The fruity flavors are very, very sweet. Some contain up to 22 grams of sugar per serving. Unsweetened kefir contains fewer than half of those sugar grams. Here’s an idea: Buy both kinds and mix a little of the flavored kefir with the unflavored to reduce the sugar content of your beverage.

Flavored Teas

Sweet tea and other high-sugar flavored teas in a bottle are not better for you than soda just because they have “tea” in their names. Many of them contain nearly 46 grams of sugar per bottle!

Flavored Iced Coffees

These can pass as liquid candy, too. A bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino contains 37 grams of carbs and 31 grams of sugar, delivering 200 calories per serving.

French Fries

While most people know that potatoes are starchy, French fries are extremely carb-laden at 63 grams per restaurant serving, packing twice as many carbohydrates as a bowl of pasta in a standard family-style serving. It gets worse: Vegetable-oil-fried foods like fries contain high levels of something called inflammatory advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are inflammation-causing compounds that form when certain foods are cooked at high temperatures.

Fresh Pressed Juices

Organic, fresh-pressed juices might sound innocent, but don’t depend on them for health benefits. Guzzle down just one glass, and you’ll be drinking a sugar bomb with as many as 26 grams. And though you are getting the juice of whole fruit, you’re not getting the fiber of the whole fruit. Without the fiber from the plant, the juice isn’t much better than drinking a cup of sugar water.

“Healthy” Frozen Dinners

When you’re in a pinch, reaching for a frozen meal might not sound like a bad option—especially when that meal is labeled “healthy.” Still, pay attention to nutrition labels. Healthy Choice’s Café Steamers Pineapple Chicken, for example, touts grilled white meat and protein-rich edamame among its ingredients but has a whopping 19 grams of sugar in one bowl—more than the 18 grams of protein it contains.