7 Foods With More Sugar Than You Think

“Read the ingredients. If sugar is in the top three ingredients, leave the item on the shelf,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, founder and owner of the New Jersey–based Vernon Center for Nutrition and Wellness.

What to Eat Instead

“Cinnamon, fresh fruit, pureed berries, unsweetened applesauce, toasted and unsalted nuts, and seeds are all great additions to provide flavor without added sugar,” says Lori Zanini, RD, CDCES, who’s based in Dana Point, California.

You’ve probably heard that canned soup is high in sodium. But did you know it can also be chock-full of added sugar?

In tomato-based soups “sugar reduces the acidity of the tomatoes to balance the taste,” Zanini says. Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup, for example, contains more than 16 g of added sugar in 1 cup, according to the company website.

So check soup labels carefully before you buy, especially when it comes to tomato-based varieties.

What to Eat Instead

Look for canned soups with little or no added sugar. Some soups labeled as “heart healthy” might contain less added sugar than traditional varieties.

For example, Campbell’s Heart Healthy Tomato Soup has half the added sugar of the regular version. And certain light versions of Progresso soups, like the Light Chicken & Dumpling Soup, contain no added sugar.

Dressing is one of the main ways that a salad can go from a low-calorie health food to a high-calorie treat in an instant.

Light and fat-free dressings tend to be the highest in added sugar, Zanini says: “When manufacturers remove fat from products, they often add more sugar to replace the flavor.”

What to Eat Instead

Look for dressings with nutrition labels that contain little or no added sugar.

You can also try dressing your salads with simple oil and vinegar instead of a premixed dressing. Mix in herbs and spices for an additional flavor boost.

Or you can turn to hummus, tzatziki, freshly squeezed citrus juices, and pureed berries as simple, healthy ways to dress your salads, Zanini says.

Similar to tomato soup, store-bought tomato sauce is often a sneaky source of sugar, which is added to cut the acidic taste of tomatoes.

What to Eat Instead

If you have trouble finding sauces that are low in or free of added sugar, try a can of plain diced tomatoes instead.

“Simply drain the juices, puree, and add your own spices to make a quick sugar-free sauce,” Zanini says. You might end up creating a sauce that you like more than anything you can find on shelves.

Fruit juices are definitely not all created equal. Some varieties of OJ, for example, contain nothing but pure juice from oranges. Other drinks labeled as juices are packed with added sugar and other ingredients.

What to Eat Instead

Check product labels and look for juices that list just juice from the fruit on the ingredient list or note “100 percent juice” or “no sugar added” somewhere on the label. (And even then, check the label to ensure that artificial sweeteners weren’t added.)

What to Eat Instead

Look for bars with whole-food ingredients, like rolled oats, without many added sugars. Avoid bars that list sugar in the top three ingredients.

You can also consider snacking on a handful of whole nuts and whole or unsweetened dried fruit instead. (More on dried fruit next.)

Dried fruit tends to sound a lot healthier than it is.

Added sugar levels tend to be highest in dried fruits that are naturally tart, Upton says.

What to Eat Instead

Look for options that list no added sugar on the nutrition label. These may say “no added sugar” on the front of the package as well, but the safest bet is to check the ingredient list to make sure that it contains nothing but the fruit (and maybe a preservative).