Hidden Sugars in Healthy Foods

Many foods marketed as healthy contain surprising amounts of added sugar. Here's where hidden sugar lurks and how to find it on labels.

Published March 15, 2024

Why Hidden Sugars Are a Problem

Added sugar consumption is strongly linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25g of added sugar per day for women and 36g for men — yet the average American consumes about 77g per day. The gap between recommended and actual intake exists largely because of hidden sugars in foods that don't taste particularly sweet. Manufacturers add sugar not just for sweetness but also as a preservative, to improve texture, to enhance browning, and to make foods more palatable and addictive.

Foods That Secretly Contain a Lot of Sugar

Tomato sauce: a half-cup serving of many pasta sauces contains 6–12g of added sugar — comparable to a cookie. Salad dressings: low-fat and fat-free dressings often replace fat with sugar, sometimes containing 5–8g per serving. Flavored yogurts: a small container of fruit-flavored yogurt often contains 15–20g of added sugar. Granola and granola bars: despite a healthy reputation, a serving often has 10–15g of added sugar. Bread: many commercial sandwich breads contain 2–4g of added sugar per slice, adding up across a sandwich. Sports drinks: a 20oz bottle of a popular sports drink can contain 34g of sugar — similar to a can of soda. Smoothies: even bottled "healthy" smoothies can contain 30–40g of sugar, much of it added.

The Many Names of Sugar on Labels

Food manufacturers use over 60 different names for added sugars, allowing them to spread sugar across many ingredients and keep each one lower in the ingredient list. Beyond the obvious (sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar), watch for: high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date sugar, cane juice, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, maltose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin, dextrin, and molasses. The simplest approach is to look at "added sugars" on the nutrition facts label, which now aggregates all sources.

How to Reduce Hidden Sugar in Your Diet

Practical strategies to cut hidden sugar: (1) Make your own sauces and dressings — homemade tomato sauce has virtually no added sugar. (2) Choose plain yogurt and add your own fruit. (3) Read labels on all condiments — ketchup, barbecue sauce, and teriyaki are often loaded. (4) Swap flavored oatmeal packets for plain oats with fresh fruit. (5) Choose whole fruit instead of fruit juices or smoothies. (6) Compare products in the same category using the nutrition facts label's "added sugars" line. (7) Use Avo Scanner to instantly see the added sugar content in any product you scan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is natural sugar the same as added sugar?

No. Natural sugars occur in whole foods like fruits (fructose) and dairy (lactose) and come packaged with fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals that moderate their absorption. Added sugars are refined and added during processing, providing calories with no accompanying nutrients. The nutrition facts label now distinguishes between total sugars (natural + added) and added sugars specifically.

Which sweetener is healthiest?

Among caloric sweeteners, minimally processed options like pure honey or maple syrup contain trace minerals and some antioxidants, but the differences are small at typical consumption levels. All added sugars should be limited regardless of source. Among non-caloric sweeteners, research is ongoing — some studies show potential gut microbiome effects from stevia, monk fruit, and synthetic sweeteners, though all are currently approved as safe.

How do I find added sugar on a nutrition label?

Since 2020, FDA-required nutrition facts labels include a separate line for "Added Sugars" below "Total Sugars." This line shows the grams of sugar added during processing, separate from naturally occurring sugars. The %DV for added sugars is based on a 50g daily limit (10% of a 2,000 calorie diet). Look for products with less than 10% DV of added sugars per serving.

Put this knowledge to use

Scan any product barcode with Avo for an instant health score and ingredient analysis.

Download Avo