Tomato sauce
Ketchup may be the poster child for hidden sugar with one tablespoon containing 150 kilojoules of added sugar, according to the most recent Dietary Guidelines. “Sugar is found in almost everything we eat,” says Zarabi. “Don’t be fooled to think that something needs to taste sweet to contain sugar, since sugar is concealed in the ingredient list in other forms such as molasses, high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, brown syrup, invert sugar, granulated, table and anything ending in -ose.” Even some over-the-counter painkillers are sugar-coated.
“If you’re going to have a tablespoon of ketchup go ahead,” says Escobar. But if you’re going to dump half the bottle on your burger, reach for mustard, which typically doesn’t have any sugar.
Artificial sweeteners
You would think that artificial sweeteners, which technically aren’t sugar and don’t add kilojoules to your day, would eliminate the high-low trap of added sugar. In fact, no. These additives can cause the same crash you might experience with sugar or caffeine, along with feeling tired, changes in mood, trouble concentrating and heart palpitations. Aspartame, one of several high-intensity sweeteners, actually blocks the production of serotonin (the “feel-good” chemical) in the brain.
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Source: RD.com
