21 foods that have a shocking amount of sugar in them...
We hate to say it but we're all consuming a lot more sugar than we think.
Although George Osborne has unveiled a new tax on high-sugar drinks, including Coke, Sprite, Red Bull and Irn Bru, and there have been steps taken to include a 20% sugar tax in all NHS hospitals and health centers to reduce the average person's intake, the average Briton is currently consuming 238 teaspoons of sugar every week.
It's no secret that processed foods are brimming with the stuff but leading a healthy life, eating the right food groups and the right quantities unfortunately doesn't exempt you from digesting the stuff in large doses.
Because sucrose is a carbohydrate found naturally in a host of different foods from lactose in milk to the fructose in fruit and honey, it's easy to mistake just how much you're really taking in.
Too much sugar can lead to premature aging, weight gain, dramatic energy slumps and that's not to mention the long-term disease risks such as diabetes and heart disease. That's why is no surprise many diet plans cast sugar as the first thing to cut off your diet.
Here we list 21 of the most shocking high-sugar foods. To find out how you can easily reduce your intake, click to see our 16 easy sugar swap foods.
Follow Alice Howarth on Twitter: @alicejrhowarth
iStockYou may think you're one step ahead on the health wagon by having a hearty breakfast of oats, but the instant oat packets lining the supermarket shelves actually contain a lot more sugar than you think. One sachet can contain as much as 12 grams of sugar per pack. That's one whole tablespoon.
iStockBread is certainly not something you'd think would be sugary, but sadly even the wholemeal breads can contain more than you'd think. A slice of processed brown bread can be hiding up to two grams of sugar.
iStockBad news. Smoothies are stacked with sugar. Admittedly, it tends to be natural sugars, especially if you're making them at home, but that doesn't help the fact that an average glass tends to have seven whole teaspoons of the stuff.
iStockThe big brand peanut butter jars may be delicious but two tablespoons of the nutty goodness equates to over three grams of sugar. The good news is, the Skippy's of the spreads world do add in the sugar. If you opt for one of the many natural peanut butters increasingly stocked in mainstream stores, you won't be as badly hit.
iStockGranola shouldn't shock you too much, essentially it's eating crumbled biscuit. It's little wonder then that one bowl could provide 30-40 percent of your recommended daily sugar intake. That's 19 grams FYI.
iStockEnergy bars, they're full of seeds and oatmeal and healthy goodness, right? Kind of. They're also full of sugar too. Depressingly on average 20 grams per bar. That's four teaspoons and that's a lot.
iStockDried fruit is a secret sugar killer, y'all. Because dried fruit has the water removed, it concentrates the sugars resulting in shocking levels of the stuff. Eating just one of those mini-red packets of Sun Maid raisins, you'll consume two whole sugar cubes.
Put it this way, half a cup of fresh cranberries contains two grams of sugar; half a cup of dried cranberries contains a whopping 37 grams. That's nine teaspoons of sugar. Nine!
iStockDidn't everyone say we should be making juices? Well, as long as they're vegetable based. Fruit juices may be a source of vitamins but 250ml of orange juice contains 26 grams of sugar alone. Pret's OJ has the equivalent of seven and a half Hobknobs per bottle.
Rex FeaturesAgave syrup is yet another example of a popular fad, championed by countless celebs, that had people raving about the healthy effects it can have on your life if used as an alternative sweeter.
If you knew that it's made up of 85 percent fructose, you may not drizzle it on so thick. Because fructose is metabolised almost entirely by your liver, it's actually very hard work for the body.
In one tablespoon there is the equivalent of one and a half sugar cubes.
Rex FeaturesFruit is an essential part of one's diet, but in recent years nutritionists have shon the light on the benefits of favouring vegetables over fruit.
The long and short of it is still eat it, but eat it in moderation. Especially when one medium apple contains up to five sugar cubes.
Rex FeaturesYep, even baked beans contain the crystals in abundance. Three whole teaspoons per serving to be exact.
AlamyYou may think you're eating lean and relatively clean by having a piece of bbq'd meat and salad for dinner but the ready-made sauces can be lethal even if you are just using them as a light glaze. You'll find three sugar cubes worth of sucrose in one tablespoon.
To easily cut this down without missing the flavour, try making your own instead of buying it in a bottle.
Rex FeaturesThe devil's in the detail with cereals. If you look at the back of any brand packet, you'll see sugar is often listed as either the first or second ingredient. The fact that ingredient is always listed by largest quantity first, you get the idea.
Okay, so you may not be eating Coco Pops but opting for the healthier cornflakes option instead does not mean you've avoided the sugar trap. In a bowl of wholegrain cereal, you'll consume up to eight sugar cubes and yes, we're being completely serious.
AlamyColeslaw, the summer staple, the side to your salad, is feeding you more of the sweet stuff than you probably realise.
In one average serving, there's 23 grams of sugar which equates to over 11 sugar cubes.
Rex FeaturesWe love jam too, but even when it's homemade, jam can't be classified as jam if the final product is less than 60 percent sugar. One teaspoon of the stuff contains around 6.5 grams of sugar, that's three sugar cubes.
AlamyIn an average protein bar, you'll consume 20 grams of sugar. Yes, they're great for a pre-work out and you'll see brilliant muscle result by incorporating protein into your diet but certainly don't eat them absentmindedly because all the "toned" people do.
AlamyShop-made salad dressing really isn't very healthy at all. Usually brimming with salt and mayonnaise, the french dressing you had last night contained two teaspoons of sugar per two tablespoons. Stick to the simple oil and vinegar.
AlamyPasta sauces may surprise you but a third of an average-sized jar, which is roughly 150 grams, can contain over over 13 grams of sugar. That's three teaspoons of sugar.
AlamyFruit yogurt often tastes like pudding because, well, it kind of is. Even in the Activia's of the world, an individual portion pot contains 19 grams of sugar - that's nine sugar cubes and more than a small Milkyway, people!
AlamyHomemade tomato soup can be one of the best lunch options around when it comes to healthy eating but the cans you pop into your trolley when doing the weekly shop provides 10 grams of sugar per cup. That's five sugar cubes to you and I.
AlamyVitamin waters, fruit waters and energy drinks may seem healthy but they are full of the bad stuff. An average sized bottle of Vitamin Water contains a staggering 21 grams of sugar. That's over four sugar cubes. Yikes indeed...
PA PhotosOne in five people in the UK visit a coffee shop everyday. We just hope that they know hot drinks from high street chains contain up to 25 teaspoons of sugar - more than three times as much as Coca Cola.
Many people think, how bad can a drink really be, but next time you order your fancy coffee be mindful of how this could be affecting your health.
