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Are You Falling for Hidden Sugar Bombs at the Grocery Store?
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Jul 4, 2025
Hidden sugars and carb traps are everywhere, even in foods that look like healthy choices. If you’re not careful, you could end up consuming way more sugar and carbs than you think—completely throwing off your health goals. In this episode of #ReluctantLowCarbLife, we talk about 15 to 20 everyday grocery store items that are sugar bombs in disguise, why they matter, and how to spot them before they land in your cart. You can also click here (https://reluctantlowcarblife.com/hidden-sugar-bombs-what-to-watch-for-at-your-local-grocery-store/) to read more about Hidden Sugar Bombs: What to Watch for at Your Local Grocery Store. #ReluctantLowCarbLife #HiddenSugars #LowCarbTips #GroceryShoppingSmart #ReadFoodLabels #SugarAwareness #HealthyLivingTips #CarbConsciousChoices Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2029615/support)
View Video Transcript
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[Music]
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Hi, this is Anita from Reluctant Low
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Carb Life. You know, as you know, as
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Reluctant Low Carb Life, we talk a lot
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about eating foods that are fresh, foods
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that help you feel full longer, and
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fitness is part of your daily lifestyle
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and daily choices. Today, we want to
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talk a little bit about hidden sugar or
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hidden sugar bombs that can be found
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into the grocery stores. You know, when
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you when you look at a food in a grocery
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store and you'll really look on the back
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of it and you'll start seeing all these
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names. A lot of them, you know, to be
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honest with you, I can hardly even
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pronounce and I will try to pronounce
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them. But you know some of the mo most
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common names that you find for hidden
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sugars and things would be like high
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fructose corn syrup, cane juice,
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malttodextrin,
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aua nectar, dextrose, fructose, sucrose,
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honey. They might sound harmless, even
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healthy. And of course, honey is is
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actually pretty good for you, but they
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may be packed in there. They may not be
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as good for you as it once seemed. that
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there can be lots of different types of
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hidden sugars and foods and I'm going to
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talk about some of them that you should
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watch out for some of the you know
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typical things to watch out for in when
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you go to the supermarket. First one is
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flavored yogurt. You know yogurt is
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marketed as kind of like this health
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food and most of us think of yogurt as a
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health food but yogurt can contain as
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much sugar as a candy bar. You know, a
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single serving of fruit flavored yogurt
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can have 20 to 30 grams of sugar. So, if
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you're going to go for yogurt, you know,
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opt for plain yogurt and add your
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berries or sprinkle stevia or you add
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your own sweetness to the yogurt because
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at least then you know exactly what kind
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of sweetness you're getting. So, you
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know, opt for the Greek yogurt and then
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add your own in and then you will be far
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better off than buying the flavored
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yogurt. Granola is also to another one
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that's seen as a sort of so-called
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health food or wholesome breakfast
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option. But most store-bought granas are
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packed with sugar. Even those I might
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say organic, say natural on them can
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contain 15 to 20 grams of sugar per
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serving. Instead, look for unsweetened
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granola or better yet make your own at
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home. I've, you know, started recently
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making granola and it's really very easy
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to make and I actually love it. But I
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love it better than the store-bought
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versions of granola, and it's actually
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much cheaper and better for me. The
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other one is protein bars. Protein bars
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have been marketed as sort of this
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convenience sort of health snack, but
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many are essentially candy bars in
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disguise, like where we think that they
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are actually good for us or that they
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are really, you know, something that is,
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you know, healthier for us. But a lot of
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popular brands can combine have 10 to 20
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grams of sugar per bar. You know, this
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could actually be the same as a candy
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bar, very similar to a candy bar. So,
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look for low carb, high protein options
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with minimal added sugar if you're going
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to go for a protein bar. You know,
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smoothies and juices is another one
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where especially the pre-made smoothies,
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pre-made juices where, you know, they
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can they can be claimed as being all
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natural, you know, packed with vitamins,
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but they can also be loaded with sugar.
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A single bottle can contain 30 to 50
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grams of sugar, even if it's made with
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fruit. Stick to water or make your own
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low sugar smoothies at home or make your
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own fruit juice. We know we a lot of
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times here we will make our own orange
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juice out of fresh oranges. Salad
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dressings is another one where there's a
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lot of hidden sugar in them. You know,
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bottles that are especially have light
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or fat-free
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um are notorious for hiding sugar. A two
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tablespoon serving can have 5 to 10
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grams of sugar. Choose dressings with no
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added sugar or make your own, you know,
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olive oil, vinegar, and herb dressing at
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home. They're it's actually very easy to
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make. Um lots of Italian dressings are
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extremely easy to make. So, you really
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don't need to, you know, buy salad
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dressing unless there's a really a salad
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dressing that you like, then opt for the
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one that has the least sugar. Ketchup
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also is another condiment, but it's also
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can have a lot of sugar in it. One
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tablespoon can have four grams of sugar.
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Look for sugar-free ketchup or an
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alternative like mustard or hot sauce.
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Or if you're going to use ketchup, then
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use the one that you can find that has
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the least sugar in it. Breakfast
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cereals, even those that are considered
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hearthealthy or whole grain. A lot of
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these are loaded with sugar. A single
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serving can have 10 to 20 grams of sugar
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in them. And most people eat more than
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the recommended size, especially if
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you're getting some breakfast cereal,
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which you know isn't healthy for you,
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which you know, it's just basically just
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laden with sugar. Sugar that you put
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inside milk. You know, opt for
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unsweetened options or, you know, you
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know, get make your own cereal or skip
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cereal altogether.
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Energy drinks are marketed as a way to
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boost your performance, but they're also
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again packed with sugar. Why? Because
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sugar will boost your energy. And so,
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you know, the energy drinks, some of
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them have 30 to 50 grams of sugar. You
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know, stick to water if you can or find
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yourself another, you know, drink that
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has low sugar in it. Nut butters, peanut
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butter and other nut butters can be a
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great source of healthy fats. Many
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brands add sugar to improve the taste.
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So, check the label or choose those that
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that honestly say no added sugar on
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them, you know, to make sure you get the
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healthier option. Dried fruit might seem
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like a healthy snack, but again, this
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can be concentrated sugar. A small
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handful of a dried mango or raisin could
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have 20 to 30 grams of sugar. Stick to
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fresh fruit in moderation if you're able
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to. Trail mix is another one. It's often
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marketed as another healthy snack, but
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many varieties are loaded with sugary
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ingredients such as chocolate chips,
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yogurt covered raisins, and sweetened
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dried fruit. Make your own mix with
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unsweetened nuts and seeds. You can do
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or, you know, check and get those brands
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that don't have all the sugar laden in
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them. Instant oatmeal is another one.
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You know, flavored instant oatmeal
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packets are common. They're convenient,
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but they're also full of sugar. A single
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serving can have 10 to 15 grams of
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sugar. So choose plain oatmeal or you
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know add your own low carb toppings.
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Canned soup's another one that you know
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canned soups many of them have added
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sugar for flavoring. Tomato based soups
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are especially guilty with this where
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some canned soup varieties have 10 to 15
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grams of sugar per serving. Look for low
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carb or sugar-free options here. Sports
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drinks. That's another one where a lot
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of, you know, people that are, you know,
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think sport drinks can replace your
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electrolytes, but they're also packed
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with sugar. For some brands, a a single
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serving of a sports drink could have 20
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to 30 grams of sugar. Again, wow. I
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mean, that's a lot of sugar. That that's
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like, you know, you might as well eat a
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candy bar if you're going to do that.
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So, offer sugar-free or drink plain
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water.
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Plant-based milks. This is again where
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you know you might think you're eating
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healthy but you get yourself some
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plant-based milks. A lot of them like
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you know almond milk if you don't watch
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the package and get the unsweetened one.
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A lot of them have added sugar in them.
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They can have quite a bit of sugar. So
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you know get the ones that are
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unsweetened to keep your sugar intake.
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And you'll also find out when you look
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on the back the difference in the
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calories is huge between the unsweetened
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ones and those that are sweetened.
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Gluten-free products. You know, we sort
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of have this feeling that a lot of these
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gluten-free products are somehow
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healthier for us. But the truth is that
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many of the gluten-free breads,
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crackers, and snacks use sugar to
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improve the flavor and the texture. So,
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always check again for the added sugars,
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what they have put into these products
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because a lot of times they're just
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adding the sugar in which you know is
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really unhealthy for you. And so, check
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those products. Barbecue sauce is
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another one. It can have 10 to 15 grams
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of sugar in it. You can look for
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sugar-free or low carb alternatives
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here. Frozen meals, many frozen meals
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that you find that are considered
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healthy, they they again they add sugar
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in because sugar enhances the flavor. So
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check the nutrition value of these again
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and the ingredients before buying or
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make your own food and freeze it and
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then you know what's in it. Fruit
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flavored water is another one. This has
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really been a huge thing that's taken
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off many parts of the world where uh you
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know people are drinking this water
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which is you know fruit water but many
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contain added sugar artificial
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sweetener. So again check the labels in
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it or infuse your own water with fruit.
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Cereal bars are often marked as you know
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quick easy healthy breakfast options but
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they're usually loaded with sugar. So if
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you can see on this that you know all of
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these are loaded with sugar. So what
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what can you do? Well, you can read the
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nutrition label. You can check the
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ingredients. You can be wary of health
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claims when they say lowfat, natural on
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the box or on the package. Then turn it
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around and look at the ingredients. See
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what's on there. Choose whole foods. You
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know, focus on whole foods, unprocessed
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foods, you know, foods like fresh
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vegetables, meats, and healthy fats. And
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wherever possible, make your own. I
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think this really is the key here.
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wherever you can make your own because
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then at least you know what is in it
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because you have made it. If you're
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interested want to be able to find out
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more about this and check this out, we
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have written a blog post entitled Hidden
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Sugar Bombs, what to watch for at your
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local grocery store. We will put a link
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in the description below. We hope that
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you'll join with us as you think about
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these basically the trifecta of health,
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which is eating fresh foods, eating
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foods that help you feel full longer or
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have satiety and fitness as just every
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something that all of us can do or
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strive to do to live a healthier life.
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If you haven't yet subscribed, please
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subscribe. We'd love to have you be part
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of our community and to join with us.
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Thank you so much.
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[Music]
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