What do you think is more important diet or exercise? We know both are very important but does one outweigh the other? Strength workouts obviously plays a huge part in making gains in the gym. To take someones body to the next level, a well thought-out, healthy, nutrition plan needs to be part of the big picture. One of the biggest culprit’s that wreck many diets are high sugar foods. Here are a few foods and drinks that you may not have realized are high in added sugar.
Unexpectedly High Sugar Food & Drink
The following list includes foods/drinks that many of us eat regularly and may not be aware of a high added sugar content.
Fruit Based Yogurts
Yes, yogurt is healthy but fruit-based yogurts are especially high in added sugar. Like with anything else though there are exceptions to the rule (see below).
Oikos Pro Mixed Berry Yogurt 5.3 oz. serving: 140 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 60 mg sodium, 8 g carbs (0 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 20 g protein, calcium 15 percent.
Stick with the plain yogurt types and really spend a few minutes comparing food labels. Some personal favorites Chobani’s plain vanilla, Siggi’s 0 percent Strained Icelandic-Style Skyr, Vanilla and Rachel’s Greek Organic Style yogurt.
Sports Drinks
This one was a big surprise to me. Sure, you need replace the sugar (glucose) and electrolytes lost via long workouts. Many sports drinks, though, cross the “healthy” line. One of the worse is Gatorade. According to Ellen Levine, MS, RD, “Gatorade is beneficial after an intense workout longer than 60-minutes. Eight ounces is more than enough. Keep in mind that a regular 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade contains 56 grams of sugar.
Other drinks like Powerade, second highest ingredient is high fructose corn syrup followed by artificial ingredients. Also, according to, “Eat This Not That,” it also contains “brominated vegetable oil which is a flame retardant chemical banned in Europe and Japan.” Moreover, flavored VitaminWater, contains 120 calories and 31 grams of sugar. If you exercise longer than an hour, use sports drinks, but if it’s less than an hour drink stick to water.
Protein Bars
Most sports protein bars contain both a high number of calories and added sugar. There is a place for protein bars. Watch out though or products that have a paragraph of ingredients, minimal fiber and high sugar. Looks for bars that contain a minimal number of ingredients; preferably less than three or five at the most. One good example is Larabar Cashew Cookie. The bar contains 10 percent of your daily iron, 20 percent of your daily magnesium, and 25 percent of your RDA of copper, which is essential for healthy bones and muscles. Another good bar is RXBARS. They can be high in natural sugar but have no added sugar.
Final Thoughts
Continue to keep an eye on how much added sugar is in the food and drinks you and your family consume. In terms of safe guidelines that will help you fight the battle and keep you lean, try the following.
- Focus on eating about 2.5 grams of added sugar per 100 calories.
- Men = Consume <150 calories (38 grams) a day of added sugar or about 9 teaspoons a day.
- Women = Consume <100 calories (25 grams) a day of added sugar or about 6 teaspoons a day.
Stay Strong Together
Jefit, named best strength app by Sports Illustrated, Esquire, GQ, Men’s Health, Greatest, Forbes Health, and many others, has a community responsible for 92,000,000 workouts to date! The app, which recently passed 10 million downloads, comes equipped with a customizable workout planner and training log. The app has ability to track data, offer audio coaching cues, and can share workouts with friends. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals.
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