March Fit Food Tip

Being smart about sweets is only part of the battle of reducing sugar. Sugar is also hidden in many packaged foods, fast food meals, and grocery store staples such as bread, margarine, and ketchup.

The first step is to spot hidden sugar on food labels.  Let’s take as an example a popular oat-based cereal with almonds whose package boasts that it is “great tasting,” “heart healthy” and “whole grain guaranteed.” When you combine from the ingredient list all the sugars, which included corn syrup, barley malt extract, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, brown sugar molasses, and malt syrup, then they add up to more than one-quarter (27%) of this cereal is added sugar.

Remember if you slowly reduce the sugar in your diet a little at a time, your taste buds will adjust and you can wean yourself off the craving. This message is brought to you by the Warm Springs Diabetes Program.