Top 7 Culprits of Sneaky Sugar from the '14-Day No Sugar Diet'
One of the best things you can do for your overall health—and your waistline—is cut back on sugar. The addictive sweetener has taken on the roll of "food villain" for many of us (especially those with a sweet tooth!), has been tied to a host of health issues, and is credited with helping to fuel the country's obesity epidemic.
For this week's podcast, the Eat This, Not That! team is joined by Jeff Csatari, the Executive Editor of Eat This, Not That! magazine and the author of one of our newest books, The 14-Day No Sugar Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day and Find Your Path to Better Health. Within the pages of his easy-to-understand book, Jeff shares insights about how sugar cravings and addictions can be tackled—and in just two weeks.
Spot Those Sneaky Sugars
Obvious sweet treats—think cookies, candy, and soda—are easy to target and avoid, but what about the secret sugar bombs in your "healthy" meals and snacks? Too often, foods that we think are good for us are loaded with hidden sugars—the type that trigger cravings for more sweets and accelerate the storage of belly fat.
To help jumpstart your weight loss, find those sneaky sugars lurking in your foods and stop eating them. The 14-Day No Sugar Diet helps you identify them. Here, Jeff shares some of the worst common offenders:
Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
Calcium, protein, and fruit. What's not to love about yogurt? Try a whopping 20-25 grams of sweet sugars—all hiding in a "healthy" dairy disguise.
Tomato Soup
We all know soup can pack staggering amounts of sodium, but what about sugars? Campbell's Creamy Tomato Soup delivers 14 grams even before you add the Saltines. Make homemade instead.
Raisin Bran Cereal
It has "bran" in the title. Sounds good, right? Yeah, but it also has sugar-coated raisins in the box, contributing to the 18 grams of sugar per cup of cereal.
Energy/Protein Bars
They call 'em energy bars for a reason: they are full of energy in the form of sugar. One typical bar packs four Oreo cookies worth of sugar. Sure, you'll get a temporary boost in energy, but expect a hard crash soon after.
Orange Juice
Florida's natural, vitamin-C packed nectar isn't as healthy as it may seem. An 11.5-ounce bottle of Simply Orange's pulp-free orange juice packs in 33 grams of sugar—that's the same diet-busting amount you'll find in three Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnuts!
Red Bull Energy Drink
Red Bull is another "energy" culprit delivering 27 grams of sugar per eight ounces. That's more than you get in a Snickers bar. Worth it to get your wings? We didn't think so.
Applebee's Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad
There's nothing wrong with leafy greens and grilled chicken. But it's the Oriental vinaigrette dressing that turns a healthy meal into the sugar equivalent of a plate of 10 Oreo cookies.
You can learn more about why cutting out sugar can drastically improve your overall health by listening to this week's episode of the Eat This, Not That! Podcast below. Like what you hear? You can also subscribe to our Eat This, Not That! podcast on Apple Podcasts.
Thanks again to our special guest, Jeff Csatari, for sharing both your personal story and great insights straight from your book. The 14-Day No Sugar Diet is available now.
