We drink and eat a lot throughout the day. But do we also know what is really in it and what we eat with it? Some snacks contain more sugar than we suspect. And the sugar trap snaps shut early in the morning: the cornflakes turn out to be a small sin in the morning, the orange juice contains a lot of sugar and even preserved foods don’t necessarily bring us closer to our ideal figure.
For example, did you know that there are about eleven sugar cubes in 100 grams of tomato ketchup ? In order not to fall for nutritional errors, just take a closer look the next time you go shopping.
Table of Contents
Brown sugar
Many of us believe that brown sugar is healthier and, most importantly, contains fewer calories than its white counterpart. Unfortunately this is a mistake. The only difference is the taste. The dark alternative is just not as thoroughly cleaned as the white one and is therefore a bit more malty, but not healthier.
Bubble Tee
It’s delicious and somehow it has become the summer drink: the bubble tea. However, the drink has very little to do with healthy cold tea. A 0.2 liter cup of bubble tea contains around 400 calories. An added syrup tastes fruity and fresh, but it is pure sugar. And of course the bubbles also help to make the whole package a real sugar trap.
Apple juice
An apple a day, keeps the doctor away – this wisdom sounds somehow reassuring, as the apple is described as a healthy snack for in between. This does not apply to its liquid form. The most popular fruit juice drink in Germany contains a high proportion of fruit sugar – a typical calorie trap. A liter of apple juice contains 120 grams of sugar, or to put it another way: 40 sugar cubes.This notion clouds the thought of a healthy drink. And the following also applies: Where apple is on it, apple is not in it by a long shot. However, if you really can’t do without your apple juice, you should at least grab a spritzer. With a combination of water and juice, the drink is by no means a substitute for an apple, but your body will certainly forgive you the little sin a little faster. No consolation is perhaps the fact that Polish researchers have discovered that naturally cloudy apple juice is said to contain five times as many health-promoting substances as its clear derivative.
Pineapple
The so-called queen of fruits, the pineapple , flattens the stomach and a diet with the tropical fruit has even been developed. Important: it’s all about the fresh pineapple. The convenient and cheaper variant from the can, on the other hand, may still contain some vitamins like the fresh pineapple, but as an unpleasant side effect there is also a large portion of sugar in it. A can of around 450 grams contains 54 grams of sugar. Figuratively speaking, this corresponds to about 18 sugar cubes. Canned pineapple is nowhere near as low in calories as a fresh one. The perfectly shaped can rings are pretty to look at, but unfortunately they are real calorie bombs.
Cornflakes
A perfect morning starts with a bowl of cornflakes and fresh milk for you? Then it might be better to use the unsweetened version. Because a 100 gram portion of normal flakes contains 37 grams of sugar – at least 12 sugar cubes .
gummy bear
They look small and sweet – the colorful gummy bears. With one grip you quickly have a few of them in your hand and then in your mouth. But be careful: small does not mean low in calories. A bear contains around half the sugar. Means: 100 grams of gummy bears contain 50 grams of sugar. That’s about 17 sugar cubes . If you still don’t want to do without snacking, you should fall back on the colorful bears made of fruit juice. Although they contain just as much sugar and calories, they have no artificial colors or flavors.
Sect
The colleague is celebrating farewell, it’s the girlfriend’s birthday and there’s already a glass of sparkling wine to toast. The sparkling drink not only tastes good, but also contains a lot of sugar. Only 100 milliliters of sparkling wine contain up to 5 grams of sugar and therefore two sugar cubes . The alcohol-free version, on the other hand, is not the healthiest, but at least has a lower calorie content.
Ketchup
A cozy barbecue evening should not be without salads, bread and meat with ketchup . But where exactly is the sugar trap hiding? That’s right: in ketchup. A half-liter bottle contains up to 130 grams of sugar and thus 43 sugar cubes. If you still want to enjoy your meat with a delicious sauce – without a guilty conscience – a homemade tomato salsa sauce is just the thing.
ICET
Instant ice tea is particularly good as a little refreshment on hot days. The delicious tea is quick to make, sweet and available in different flavors. But be careful, because there is a small sugar trap lurking in this drink. There are about two sugar cubes hidden in just one glass. If you are still looking for a delicious summer drink, we recommend this basil and nectarine ice tea as a cool refreshment for the summer.
Red cabbage
A real sugar bomb is hidden in red cabbage – at least when it comes out of the jar. 700 grams of red cabbage contain 77 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to 25 sugar cubes . If you really want to enjoy healthy vegetables in a healthy way, it’s better to grab the wooden spoon yourself.
yogurt
Yoghurt is healthy and a light meal for in between meals. It contains a lot of calcium, proteins and hardly any sugar. It’s correct. At least when it comes to natural yoghurt. With a fruit yoghurt it looks different. There are around eight sugar cubes in a 200 gram cup. In order not to have to do without a delicious yoghurt in the future, opt for a natural yoghurt and simply cut a little fresh fruit into it.
bananas
The banana is one of the most popular types of fruit in Germany. No wonder – it not only tastes delicious, but is also rich in healthy nutrients. It has a lot of potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6, which is why the sweet fruit is particularly popular with athletes. The banana is a great source of energy. But in addition to the multitude of healthy nutrients, the crooked fruit consists mainly of carbohydrates. There can be up to 20.6 g of sugar in a banana . But that doesn’t mean that you have to do without the delicious fruit in the future – a banana is still a fruit full of healthy nutrients.
Cola
The caffeinated drink is one of the most popular soft drinks in Germany. We should drink up to 40 glasses of it on average. We know that this thirst quencher is not exactly healthy. But that up to ten sugar cubes are hidden in a glass, that’s a little shock for us! Just for comparison: the daily recommendation for our sugar requirement is around 17 pieces. One glass covers almost the entire daily sugar requirement.
Almond butter or almond butter
Almond butter is a real all-rounder. Whether as a spread or to refine muesli, the tasty mush can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. It is rich in vitamin E, folic acid and protein. But if you take a closer look at the ingredients in a glass, you will also notice the high sugar content in almond butter. Up to 40 g of sugar can hide in a glass. But the puree has such an intense aroma that it shouldn’t be difficult to use a little less of the sweet sin.
dried fruit
We’re often told to eat dried fruit instead of chocolate because it’s the healthier alternative. Dried fruit is definitely healthier than chocolate – but there is also a small sugar trap lurking in dried fruit. Dried fruits lose a lot of vitamins during drying. However, carbohydrates and fiber remain. The remaining carbohydrates are mainly fructose: dried fruit can therefore consist of up to 70 percent fructose . But the same applies here: in moderation, you can enjoy the delicious dried fruit without a guilty conscience.
Ready-made salad dressings
If you need something quick or you’re on your lunch break, ready-made salad dressings are pretty good helpers. But have you taken a closer look at the ingredients of a dressing? A pack of dressing can contain up to 16 g of sugar . If you want to do without this additional sugar, then just try to create your own salad dressing next time or add some low-fat yoghurt to a store-bought sauce – this way you save sugar, but hardly lose any of the taste.
Instant cappuccino
Many coffee lovers know the problem – even if you have to be quick in the morning, you don’t want to do without your daily dose of caffeine. Soluble cappuccino is a perfect solution. But watch out, because this coffee substitute contains everything but just coffee and milk – in fact, sugar turns out to be one of the main components of the powdered drink. Up to 60 percent sugarhides in it. If you want to do without so much sugar, you’d rather use the tried-and-tested filter coffee or buy a fresh coffee from the café around the corner. If you not only want to drink your coffee healthily, but also in an environmentally friendly way, then simply bring your own to-go cup – most cafés even give a small discount on this ecological behavior.
Smoothies
Smoothies seem to be an ideal alternative to fresh fruit. You can drink them quickly, they are easy to prepare and many supermarkets would be unimaginable without them. Nevertheless, you should also pay attention to your consumption. On the one hand, many important nutrients are lost when fruit is prepared in this way, and on the other hand, smoothies cannot give you the same feeling of satiety as firm fruit. In addition, you quickly absorb a lot of fructose by drinking fruit – a smoothie usually contains more fruit in liquid form than you would consume in solid form at once. What makes smoothies a real sugar trap is their sugar and calorie content. A smoothie has more calories than a small bottle of cola and sometimes more than 14 g of sugar. So watch out for excessive consumption of the delicious, liquid fruit.
frozen pizza
Pizza is incredibly delicious, can be adapted to any taste preference and brings a piece of Italy home with us. It is therefore no wonder that Germans eat up to ten pizzas per person a year. Studies have shown, however, that there can be up to six to eight sugar cubes in a frozen pizza. We unknowingly take the unnecessary sugar with us – it doesn’t have to be. You can also easily prepare pizza at home – it’s not only fun, it’s also really tasty!
chocolate bar
We all know that a candy bar is not really healthy. But the fact that there are actually 60 grams of sugar and thus ten sugar cubes in it does shock us. Almost half of a candy bar consists entirely of sugar. And even if the alternative is not new: a piece of dark chocolate contains less sugar and is also healthier.
