50 Low-Sugar Foods Every Healthy Person Eats
When you start paying attention to food labels, it's pretty shocking what you may find—especially when it comes to sugar. Added sugars lurk in tons of unexpected places in everyday foods, from peanut butter to barbecue sauce to frozen meals. According to one report from 2015, 74 percent of food products in the U.S. food supply contain some type of sweetener. It makes finding low-sugar foods seem impossible with such a high percentage.
We're all for savoring a sweet indulgence now and then, but there are plenty of good reasons to cut back on sugar. A steady diet of excess sweets can not only lead to weight gain and tooth decay but puts you at an increased risk of heart disease and type two diabetes. Even a one-time overindulgence can have some unpleasant consequences, as a dramatic spike-and-drop of blood sugar may leave you feeling irritable, lethargic, or nauseous. Clearly, for better health, we'd all do well to keep in the moderate range—which, according to the USDA, is about 12 teaspoons (or 50 grams) per day.
To help you stay sugar-savvy, we've rounded up 50 low-sugar foods to choose at mealtimes, snacks, and desserts.
Low-Sugar Breakfast
Siggi's Raspberry and Apple No Added Sugar Yogurt
You've tried Greek yogurt—but have you had its Icelandic cousin, skyr? Some say this Nordic yogurt is even creamier than Greek. The raspberry-apple flavor of Siggi's Icelandic skyr relies only on fruit for sweetener.
Amy's Black Bean and Tomato Breakfast Burrito
On those busy mornings when you want something quick, filling, and low-sugar, reach for this black bean and veggie breakfast burrito. Its six grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein are sure to keep you full until lunch.
Van's 8WG Multigrain Waffles
The "8WG" in Van's multigrain waffles stands for the eight whole grains packed inside, including whole wheat, oats, amaranth, millet, and more. Bonus: A two-waffle serving contains just three grams of sugar.
McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal
Think steel-cut oats take an eternity to cook? Think again. McCann's quick-cooking steel-cut oats need just three minutes in the microwave to attain their creamy, warming goodness. And since they have no added sugar, it's your call whether to sweeten them with a hint of honey or brown sugar.
I Heart Keenwah Toasted Quinoa Hot Cereal
If you're looking for a change from the usual oatmeal, try something unique and different with toasted quinoa hot cereal. While it's similar to oatmeal in texture, it boasts extra protein and a nuttier flavor.
Noka Strawberry Pineapple Superfood Smoothie Pouches
Smoothie pouches offer on-the-go convenience without the mess of the blender. These fruit-and-flaxseed packets get their sweetness from strawberries, apples, and pineapple juice. Blend with wet ingredients like almond milk or coconut water, or simply uncap and eat.
Seven Sundays Rise & Shine Mix
Rise and shine without a ton of sugar! A mix of nuts, seeds, coconut, and dried fruit makes up this healthy, crunchy muesli with no added sweetener.
Total Cereal
Total Cereal an oldie but a goodie for a reason. A serving of this reliable staple not only meets many of your daily vitamin and mineral needs, but also contains just five grams of sugar.
Natural Bliss Honey Cream Coffee Creamer
There's no need to use up your daily sugar quotient in your coffee. Choose a lighter creamer like Coffeemate's Natural Bliss Honey Cream to add just enough sweet flavor to your morning cup.
Dr. Praeger's Egg Whites and Kale Breakfast Bowl
If you like a savory start to your day, check out this hearty breakfast bowl of potatoes, eggs, peppers, and cheese. For a food that's technically processed, its ingredient list is an impressive blend of whole foods, with super low sugar.
Low-Sugar Lunch
Luvo Mighty Masala & Greens Bowl
Get your veggies in at lunchtime with Luvo's Indian-inspired greens bowl. Cruciferous veggies like kale and cabbage pack a nutrient punch while jasmine rice and coconut milk add earthy Eastern flavor. All the sugars in this healthy bowl are naturally occurring.
Don Lee Farms Cauliflower Bites
Have you jumped on the cauliflower bandwagon yet? Whether you're gluten-free or just want to add fiber and nutrients to your diet, subbing cauliflower for other ingredients can be a healthy choice. These pop-able cauliflower bites offer a wholesome alternative to chips or fries. Simply heat and eat!
Eat Smart Wild Greens and Quinoa Salad Kit
Bye-bye, boring bagged salads! This blend of quinoa, veggies, almonds, and feta is practically restaurant quality. An avocado-herb dressing finishes things off with minimal sugar.
Amy's Lentil Soup
For a satisfying low-sugar lunch, you can't go wrong with lentils, veggies, and a smattering of seasonings. Heated up on a chilly day and served with a side of bread or salad, this healthy soup hits the spot.
Mann's Monterey Risotto Nourish Bowl
All the richness of risotto, none of the endless stirring. The natural sweetness of butternut squash is enough to brighten up a mix of greens and rice in this convenient lunch bowl.
Food for Life 7 Sprouted Grain Bread
It's scary how much sugar can lurk in bread. But that's not the case with Food for Life's 7 Sprouted Grains variety, which contains just one gram per 80-calorie serving. Grab a couple of slices for healthy, hearty sandwich-making.
Boar's Head Bold Chipotle Chicken Breast
For a tasty workday sandwich, we're always up for a high-quality lunchmeat like Boar's Head's Chipotle Chicken Breast. There's no need for sweetness when you're enjoying its spicy kick.
Good Health Avocado Oil Barcelona BBQ Chips
As much as we love barbecue chips, they often contain high amounts of sugar. Good thing there's Good Health's Barcelona BBQ chips, which have zero grams! Plus, these crispy chips are cooked in avocado oil, which provides healthy monounsaturated fats.
Maranatha Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
Everyone's favorite sandwich staple really doesn't need added sugar (especially in combination with jelly). Maranatha's no-sugar, no-salt peanut butter gets back to basics with a simple recipe of peanuts and oil.
Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup
Ketchup is another sneaky source of added sugar. Opt-out of the excess with Primal Kitchen's unsweetened variety. Its more savory flavor may take some getting used to, but if you're a fan of tomatoes, you'll enjoy their stand-out taste here.
Low-Sugar Snacks
Kind Cinnamon Oat Granola Bar
Granola bars may be the perfect on-the-go snack, but too often, they're basically thinly disguised candy bars. Kind's Cinnamon Oat granola bars slash the sugar down to just five grams—and add 22 grams of whole grains, to boot.
Milton's Olive Oil & Sea Salt Crackers
Crispy and crunchy with a hint of Mediterranean flavor, olive oil, and sea salt crackers are an ideal base for tons of toppings. To keep things low-sugar, pair these crackers with meat or cheese, or dip in hummus.
Babybel Sharp Original Cheese
Need some cheese to go with those crackers? Look no further than Babybel's Sharp Original. Portable and bursting with sharp cheddar flavor, they're the perfect sugar-free accompaniment.
Planter's Pistachio Lover's Mix
Nuts are a great way to get some plant-based protein in at snack time. This mix of pistachios, almonds, and cashews has a little something for everyone, with plenty of protein and healthy fats.
Sabra Jalapeño Hummus
Detour from the usual hummus with some jalapeño kick! Dunk veggie slices or pita chips in this spicier, no-sugar-added dip.
Fishpeople Rainbow Peppercorn Wild Salmon Jerky
Salmon for a snack? You bet! Sustainably caught wild Alaskan salmon gets dried and dusted with rainbow peppercorn and other spices in this totally unique snack choice.
Zellee Strawberry Pear Fruit Jel
Zellee Fruit Jel proves that squeezable fruit pouches aren't just for kids. Made with real fruit and sweetened only with fruit juice, these fun twist-top snacks work well as a healthy refueling after a workout or a pick-me-up to battle the afternoon slump.
Harvest Snaps Tomato Basil Red Lentil Crisps
A red lentil base gives these crispy snacks plenty of complex carbs, while tomato-basil seasoning elevates their flavor above the ordinary. Try them as a grab-and-go substitute for potato chips.
Turbana Plantain Chips
Plantains may be similar to bananas in many ways, but there's one major difference: their sugar content. Plantains have very little sugar, making them an ideal crunchy snack. Choose from Turbana's lightly salted, lime, and other flavor options.
Trader Joe's Bamba Peanut Snacks
Bamba peanut puffs have been a popular snack choice in Israel for years. Now Americans have the chance to try them out with Trader Joe's no-sugar, four-ingredient variety. Get crunching!
Low-Sugar Dinner
Simply Balanced Grass-Fed Frozen Beef Meatballs
Meatballs may not usually be high-sugar, but processed frozen meats often contain questionable additives. Target's Simply Balanced Grass-Fed frozen meatballs, on the other hand, are made with just grass-fed beef and a handful of high-quality flavorings.
Classico Riserva Marinara Pasta Sauce
Vine-ripened tomatoes are plenty sweet on their own! The folks at Classico know this well and have left the sugar out of their Riserva marinara, letting tomatoes' inherent sweetness shine.
Birds Eye California Style Steamfresh Protein Blend
Get a healthy dinner on the table in a flash with Birds Eye's California Style blend of whole grains, lentils, and veggies. You'll rack up a quarter of your daily iron needs, plus an impressive 15 grams of fiber per serving, all with just five grams of naturally occurring sugar.
Green Giant Veggie Spirals
Sure, you could spiralize your own zucchini at home, but with Green Giant's new line of spiralized veggies, you don't have to. These frozen convenience foods contain no additives or flavorings, just pure veggie goodness.
Love the Wild Rainbow Trout with Salsa Verde
Fresh herb salsa verde and mild, nutty rainbow trout are a match made in heaven in this easy frozen dinner. Pair with rice and veggies for an elegant, sugar-free meal.
Pastorelli Ultra Thin Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Just like bread, pizza crusts often harbor high amounts of sugar. On pizza night, opt-out of unnecessary sweeteners with the wholesome whole wheat of Pastorelli's ready-made crusts.
Sol Cuisine Spicy Black Bean Burger
Ready to spice things up at dinnertime? Sol Cuisine's plant-based burger starts with black beans and adds a mix of veggies and spices for a zippy low-sugar meal that cooks in just minutes.
Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala
Indian takeout has met its match! Saffron Road's Chicken Tikka Masala keeps dinner light and not too sweet at 300 calories and five grams of sugar—perfect for busy evenings when you're craving something savory.
Bone Doctors Carolina Bold BBQ Sauce
A barbecue sauce with just one gram of sugar? Sign us up! This Carolina Bold variety uses the tartness of apple cider vinegar for kick, with just a hint of brown sugar. At just ten calories per two-tablespoon serving, you can feel free to use it liberally for dipping, dunking, and basting.
Tessamae's Organic Balsamic Salad Dressing
When your salad needs some sprucing up, reach for this no-sugar-added balsamic dressing. All-natural ingredients like balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and sea salt mean you can feel good about eating your salad and its dressing.
Low-Sugar Desserts
SunTropics Cinnamon Coconut Rice Pudding
Served hot or cold, this cinnamon-infused rice pudding is a tasty end to any meal. Pack a single-serving bowl for something sweet to look forward to after a work lunch or dinner on the run.
Blue Diamond Dark Chocolate Cocoa Dusted Almonds
Eating just a handful of nuts each day has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Get your sweet fix and help your heart with crunchy, chocolatey, cocoa-dusted almonds at just four grams of sugar per serving.
The GFB PB + J Bites
The classic marriage of peanut butter and jelly isn't just for sack lunches. When you want a little something sweet after a meal, pop one of GFB's PB + J bites. Their surprisingly high protein content provides extra satiation.
ChocZero Milk Chocolate Squares
ChocZero uses monk fruit extract, rather than white sugar, to add sweetness to its chocolatey treats. Intended for keto dieters, these chocolate squares are worth a try for anyone looking to cut back on sugar.
Wyman's Just Fruit Wild Blueberry & Greek Yogurt Bites
Fun fact: Wild blueberries contain more fiber and antioxidants than their cultivated counterparts. Gobble up their health benefits in Wyman's fruit and frozen yogurt cups. The tiny balls of yogurt and berries melt in your mouth like an all-natural Dippin' Dots.
GoodPop Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bar
For those who need to go gluten- and dairy-free, GoodPop's coconut cream base makes a rich bar that's totally allergy-friendly—and quite low-sugar, too. But be careful—these fudgy pops go down easily!
Breyer's Natural Vanilla Ice Cream
When it comes to sugar content, not all ice creams are created equal. Breyer's classic Natural Vanilla contains less than half the sugar of many other brands. And with just five ingredients, it's a refreshing change from the novel-length ingredient lists you often see in the frozen case. Sometimes simple is best!
MadeGood Soft Baked Apple Cinnamon Mini Cookies
Love apple-cinnamon flavor? Then you're sure to enjoy MadeGood's soft-baked mini cookies, pre-portioned into convenient single-serving packs. While you savor the homemade apple crisp taste, you may not even notice that these contain just six grams of sugar per bag.
Nature's Bakery Double Chocolate Brownie Bar
We can't argue with a dessert whose first ingredient is whole wheat flour. Nature's Bakery's double chocolate brownie not only contains plenty of wholesome ingredients but comes in at just 100 calories, with less sugar than most granola bars.
Chloe's Blueberry Pops
There's nothing like a refreshing popsicle on a hot day. Make it a lower-sugar one with Chloe's real-fruit blueberry pops, or choose from other flavors like mango, strawberry, and cold-pressed coffee.
