Foods Surprisingly High in Added Sugar

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This article, while it clearly has good intentions, falls wildly short of being useful. Using a standard 1 cup measure to explain how much added sugar is in a a product is just a mode to scare people about things like powdered lemonade and ketchup, which nobody would every consume a cup of (under normal eating situations). A cup of creamer? A serving is 1 tablespoon. 1 cup of salad dressing?? Servings size.... 2 tablespoons.
The author needs to reconsider actual serving sizes when alerting the public to food hazards.

Michelle of CA 3:28PM August 27, 2009

Uh, since when is a "serving" of ketchup an entire CUP? More like a tablespoon, or even a teaspoon.

sara of AZ 3:01PM August 27, 2009

This is the original version of this article, which I copied before it was "clarified". Thought it might help readers understand some of the comments.
Added sugars, which are sprinkled on and processed into packaged foods and beverages, have become all too common in the American diet, says the American Heart Association. The group argues that sugar bingeing is helping drive the uptick in metabolic changes in the American population, including the exploding obesity rate, and has now recommended an upper limit on daily consumption. Women should consume no more than 100 calories per day of added sugars, and men should not top 150 calories per day. There goes the soda habit: One 12-ounce can contains about 8 teaspoons or about 33 grams of added sugar, which equals approximately 130 calories, notes the AHA. (One gram of sugar serves up 4 calories, according to the American Dietetic Association.)
With math like that, it's not surprising that the average American rings up an average of 22.2 teaspoons, or 355 calories per day, of added sugars, mostly from sugar-sweetened beverages. But those who shun sweet-tasting drinks are not off the hook. Part of the challenge of avoiding added sugars, argues the AHA, is that they have become far more prevalent over time; the amount of added sugars in Americans' food options increased 19 percent between 1970 and 2005. Here are 11 sneaky dietary sources that are surprisingly high in added sugars:
Fortune cookies. Just one fortune cookie packs about 3.6 grams of added sugar.
Flavored booze. Exercise good judgment when you drink: One ounce of crème de menthe has 14 grams of added sugar; 53-proof coffee-flavored liqueur has 16 grams of added sugar per ounce.
Baked beans. A serving of canned baked beans with no salt added will cost you nearly 15 grams of added sugar.
Dried, sweetened cranberries. Without the sweetener, this fruit can be incredibly tart. But one serving—a third of a cup—of this treat will hit you with 25 grams of added sugar.
Ketchup. A favorite condiment, a single serving of regular—or low sodium—ketchup racks up nearly 40 grams of added sugar.
Cream substitutes. One serving of a liquid "light" cream substitute packs 22 grams of added sugar, while one cup of a powdered "light" cream substitute adds a whopping 69 grams.
BBQ sauce. A serving of this summertime favorite adds 9 grams of added sugar onto those ribs and chicken.
"Reduced" salad dressings. A serving of reduced-calorie French dressing heaps 58 grams of added sugar, and a serving of reduced-fat coleslaw dressing hits a home run with 103 grams of added sugar.
Lemonade. A serving of this refreshing drink has a massive 200 grams of added sugar.
Flavored popcorn. Think the added sweetener can't be that bad here? Fat-free-syrup caramel popcorn has 18 grams of added sugar per ounce serving.
Granola bars. Often deemed a healthful snack, some are tricky—a granola bar with oats, fruit, and nuts has 11 grams of added sugar.

Jay Roberts of PA 2:35PM August 27, 2009

This article makes an important point. I'm a label reader because I have food allergies; most of the time there is some sort of sugar that is the #2 ingredient in every food item. Names of the sugars can also be misleading - corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar - sometimes more than one of these will be in a product not to mention other sugars - sucrose, dextrose, glucose, cane syrup, mannitol, sorbitol. It's very hard for consumers to know what they're seeing on labels - would be nice if the manufacturers put 'sugar' in parenthesis after each of these names. And don't even get me started on the amount of salt/sodium in products...it can be very hard for me to find any food items to buy when I actually look at the labels and see the deadly junk that is in these foods.

Aminat of GA 10:33AM August 27, 2009

I saw a blog about nutrition and obesity in the US recently that was really interesting: http://iconsinmedicine.wordpress.com/ The organization behind it (www.iconsinmed.org) seems to be working to provide consultations for specialty care in areas that don't have the doctors they need - seems like it really could help fix the problem.

kjackson of IL 9:36AM August 27, 2009

who eats a cup (8oz) of ketchup as a single serving?

bastard of GA 9:32AM August 27, 2009

I think you should include the brands of the foods you are listing the sugar content of. It is completely arbitrary to say that a granola bar has 11 grams of sugar. It obviously depends on who made it and how much sugar they decided to put in it. The same argument could go for most other items on this list.

kevin of ME 6:37AM August 27, 2009