What sort of foods contain sugar

Foods containing sugar

There are obvious foods which contain sugar – cakes, biscuits and sweets etc. 

But also low fat foods, “diet” foods contain sugar too. If you check the label on your “diet foods” you will see “carbohydrates – of which sugars”. They add in sugar to make it taste nice because they have taken the fat out. 

Other examples of foods which contain lots of sugar (please check) 

• salad dressings
• red ketchup
• fizzy drinks
• fruit juices
• breakfast cereals
• wine
• pasta sauces (some)
• ready meals

Sugar free foods

Some foods are labelled as sugar free. This means that they have substituted it with a “chemical” replacement of sugar which is low in calories. For example sugar replacement brands “Canderel”

However these still train the taste buds to “crave sugar” and also  may mean you end up craving more and more sugary foods. 

Natural sugars

Using honey and stevia – are natural sources of sugar. It is better to use natural sources of course, but please still remember that it is still sugar which can be addictive. Once you start eating it, your brain wants more!

Carbohydrates

When we eat carbohydrates – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruit, starchy vegetables etc – these are turned into glucose (sugar) for our body to use as energy.

We NEED some of the sugar because we make energy from it but we do not want TOO much because we want to keep our blood sugar levels stable.

You can choose vegetables for your carbohydrates

Choose wholegrain rice, pasta & bread (not white)

To lose weight REDUCE the portions of rice, bread, pasta

Fruit – maximum 2 portions per day of fruit 

Vegetables – aim for 7 to 10 portions per day. 

Focus on THE PLATE