Beware of Hidden Sugar

At Premier Dental Esthetics in Arcadia CA, we counsel our dental patients to watch their sugar intake to prevent cavities and other health troubles.

If you are trying to de-sugar your diet, you are probably skipping the usual suspects: candy, soda, and baked treats. But not all sugar is as conspicuous as the frosting on a piece of chocolate cake or the powdery stuff in pixie stix.

Here are some foods found in grocery stores and school cafeterias with a surprisingly high sugar content:

• Ketchup
• Low fat versions of snack foods (Manufacturers often replace fat with sugar.)
• Salad dressing
• Breads, buns, rolls
• Spaghetti sauce
• Protein bars
• Granola
• Canned soup
• Peanut butter
• Yogurt
• Fast food meals (Hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, and salads are often loaded with sugar, not to mention the dessert items.)
• Antacids
• Cough drops
• Fruit smoothies (Even a small serving has a whopping amount of sugar.)

Reading the fine print on labels is a must. The following terms are all types of sugar:

raw sugar, cane sugar, glucose, lactose, galactose, fructose, dextrose, honey, sorghum, molasses, cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, crystallized cane juice, invert sugar, maltodextrin (or dextrin), maple syrup, concentrated fruit juices, evaporated cane juice

Do the math: when shopping at markets or health food stores, carefully assess food labels before you buy. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Add up all the grams of every type of sugar listed and divide by four to truly comprehend how much sugar an item contains.

At Premier Dental Esthetics in Arcadia CA, we advocate and practice preventative care for lifelong dental health. We offer family and cosmetic dentistry.