13 Baked Goods to Always Leave on Grocery Store Shelves
If you have a big sweet tooth, then you know the true value of having a dessert option on hand in your kitchen at all times. So it's only natural to take a trip down the snack aisle while you are grocery shopping to take a peek at the baked goods lining the shelves, waiting for you to add them to your cart. But what you need to know is that having these packaged, processed cakes in your kitchen will bring nothing but trouble. These unhealthiest baked goods are just sugar bombs!
See, the American Heart Association recommends men should consume no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day, and women shouldn't have more than 25 grams per day. You might be shocked to find out these small snacks that are gone in just a few bites blow that sugar allotment out of the water. Plus, if your diet is loaded up with processed foods that lack nutrients that help fill you up, this can then lead to overeating, which then results in weight gain. All because you're just consuming empty calories.
To help you break these habits, we've rounded up some of the unhealthiest baked goods on grocery store shelves. See which beloved sweet treats are the worst of the bunch you should avoid and instead, try out any of these 21 Best Healthy Cooking Hacks of All Time.
Little Debbie Zebra Cakes
One bite of a Zebra Cake and you're enjoying a fluffy creme-filled yellow cakes that is covered in a mix of white icing and fudge stripes. But this snack is more than 300 calories, is packing 14 grams of fat, and has basically no fiber, which means you'll be hungry again not too long after eating a pack. What's wild here, though, is the amount of sugar. This snack has 32 grams of the sweet stuff. That's more than what you would get if you ate three Original Glazed Krispy Kreme Donuts.
Entenmann's Marshmallow Devil's Food Iced Cake
A piece of this chocolate and marshmallow cake might seem like a good idea, but if you actually stick to the portion size (which is always so hard to do!), you'll be downing 370 calories and 37 grams of the sweet stuff.
Hostess Suzy Q's
Take a closer look at some Suzy Q's, and you'll see the first thing on the miles-long ingredients list is sugar, followed by water, and then high fructose corn syrup. So it's not secret that this creme filled chocolate cake snack is packing more sugar than a junior size chocolate Frosty from Wendy's.
Looking for more helpful tips? You're in luck, as your ultimate restaurant and supermarket survival guide is here!
Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie
This brownie topped with chocolate chip candy pieces might be a childhood favorite to many, but with 24 grams of sugar in just one small treat, it's better left on the shelf.
Moon Pie Double Decker
The Moon Pie cake has been a classic dessert option since 1917. While we respect the chocolate marshmallow sandwich for being a staple, it's not necessarily a good-for-you choice, as one pie comes in at 300 calories and has nearly 30 grams of sugar. If you can split this cake into three pieces and only eat that one recommended serving yourself, you're much better off.
Hostess Apple Fruit Pie
There's fruit in these pies—they must be a step up in the right direction. Sorry to disappoint, but these oh so flaky, individually wrapped Hostess apple pies are more than 400 calories! Plus, they're packed with as much sodium as you would get if you ate three small bags of Lay's potato chips and more sugar than if you ate five Snickers Mini's.
Entenmann's Iced Party Cake
Entenmann's Party Cake does look festive, but keep in mind that it's "iced," which essentially means more sugar. One piece is packing 37 grams, and 19 grams of fat. Not much to celebrate here!
Drake's Funny Bones
A bite of some Funny Bones treats you to frosted peanut butter creme-filled chocolate cake, which does sound delicious. But these cakes are coming in at 340 calories per serving. That's along with 29 grams of sugar!
Hostess Iced Vanilla Zingers
The serving listed here is for two cakes, but these little sweet treats are on the small side. Still, even if you do have just one at a time, that's still more than 19 grams of sugar you're consuming.
Little Bites Cookies & Creme Muffins
These cookies and creme mini muffins from Entenmann's made a comeback in 2020, but that doesn't mean you should be stocking up on boxes. They're devoid of fiber, yet high in sugar, which is the recipe for an unsatisfying snack.
Hostess Blueberry Jumbo Donettes
If you think going for a store-bought donut would be a better-for-you option than picking some up from Dunkin', that's just not the case. Just one of these blueberry sweet treats are packing 21 grams of sugar.
Little Debbie Birthday Cakes
If you thought going for Little Debbie's mini birthday cakes would be a better option than having to face an entire cake, that's not necessarily the case. Just one of these little guys knocks you back 200 calories and has more sugar than a Chocolate Frosted with Sprinkles Donut from Dunkin'.
Hostess Twinkie
We couldn't let this list go by without any mention of the Twinkie. This serving size is for two cakes, but if you happen to have one in the morning and one after dinner, you're still going to end up consuming that 32 grams of sugar. And chowing down on one of these sugary, fiberless cakes is never a good way to start off the day, that's for sure.
