When it comes to shedding the pounds, there’s no shortage of diet plans out there.
For some, cutting down on carbohydrates or simply avoiding cakes and sweets which are high in sugar can aid their weight loss journey.
However, while many may turn to breakfast smoothies and soup in the name of slimming, it may not be as clear cut as switching which foods they consume.
In fact, a recent report has shown that some of these supposedly “healthy” options still contain a relatively high amount of sugar in each serving.
The UK’s largest sweetener brand, Canderel, have teamed up with Corporate Nutritionist Lily Soutter in order to highlight the amount of sugar in some of these products.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Topping the list of common foods which, on average, contain a relatively high amount of sugar, are in fact breakfast smoothies.
According to Lily, the average sugar content in this type of beverage is a whopping 28g.
This amount can seem shocking, when you consider the daily recommended sugar allowance is 30g.
When it comes down to crunching the numbers, this could mean that slimmers who reach for a breakfast smoothie that’s packed with fruit, could actually be consuming 93.33 per cent of the sugar they’re allowed each day.
In comparison, a 330ml can of Coca-Cola original contains 35g, the brand’s website says.
Alcohol is also a high-sugar item, with the average drink containing anywhere between 22g and 40g per serving.
But if smoothie-lovers are looking to replace their morning drink with a large helping of low fat yoghurt – they may want to think again.
That’s because the average sugars per serving in the seemingly “healthy” food actually comes in at an astonishing 20.9g.
Breakfast bars are close behind as, while the exact figures will vary across the brands, the average serving contains 20g of sugar.
This on-the-go item shares the same average amount of sugar per serving as a bowl of soup.
According to the nutritionist, granola is also a high-sugar option – with the average portion containing 14g of the sweet substance per serving.
Speaking about the report, Lily said: “The type of sugars that most of us consume too much of are those called free sugars, which are sugars added to food by manufacturers.
“Much of the sugar we consume is hidden in common every day foods, so we may unknowingly be consuming well over our 30g per day.”
Breakfast is widely considered to be the most important meal of the day – so what does that mean for slimmers looking to have a healthy start to the day?
The nutritionist offered an alternative to these high-sugar treats – such as opting for sweetener in tea or baking your own breakfast bars.
She explained: “To help combat this, simple swaps such as replacing sugar with a low-calorie sweetener can be a fast track way of reducing intake, without compromising on flavour.”
READ MORE: Weight loss: ‘Most effective way’ to burn calories REVEALED – are you surprised?
Top 10 common foods containing hidden sugars, per serving – based on nutritional daily serving suggestion quantities:
1. Breakfast smoothies – 28g per serving
2. Alcohol – 22g-40g per serving
3. Low fat yoghurt – 20.9g per serving
4. Breakfast bars – 20g per serving
5. Soup – 20g per serving
6. Granola – 14g per serving
7. Baked Beans – 10g per serving
8. Plant-based milks – 7g per serving
9. Salad dressings – 5.7g per serving
10. Wholemeal bagel – 5.5g per serving