11 Foods Your Dentist Wouldn't Touch

[Groove Armada]

11 Foods Your Dentist Wouldn't Touch

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By David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Posted on Fri, Jan 15, 2010, 10:46 am PST

Eat This, Not That
by David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding a Yahoo! Health Expert for Nutrition

A fully grown male deer. The carbon body of a 2007 Shelby Mustang Funny Car. Tom Cruise. And all the sugar and other sweeteners you, the average American, will eat this year. What do they all have in common? They all weigh approximately 140 pounds.

Life is sweet, all right—so sweet that each of us will eat the sugar equivalent of 3,628 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the next 12 months. Impossible, right? Sure, you like a piece of birthday cake now and again, and you’re not above raiding the kids’ Halloween stash or Christmas stockings or even stealing a serving of ice cream once a week or so. But 140 pounds of the sweet stuff? How is that possible?

One 20-ounce bottle of Coca Cola contains over 15 teaspoons of the sweet stuff. And that's just one drink.

Here, the authors of the best-selling Eat This, Not That! weight-loss series reveal 11 of the most sugar-packed foods in America. Sure, some are ice cream treats. But just as many are regular food products that you’d never in a million years consider “desserts”—that is, until now. Steer clear of these 11 sugar-packed foods. Your teeth depend on it.

11. MOST SUGAR-PACKED CANNED FRUIT
Del Monte Peach Chunks in Heavy Syrup
23 g sugars
100 calories
0 g fat
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 3 Rainbow Popsicles

Unlike most food on this list, these peaches aren't bona fide junk food; they are, after all, still fruit. But why manufacturers feel the need to can, package, and bottle nature's candy with excess sugar is a question that Eat This, Not That! will never stop asking. In this case, the viscous sugar solution clings to the fruit like syrup to a pancake, soaking every bite with utterly unnecessary calories. Looking for cheap sources of fruit to have on hand at any time? Opt for the frozen stuff—it's picked at the height of season and flash frozen on the spot, keeping costs low and nutrients high.

Eat This Instead!
Dole Frozen Sliced Peaches (1/4 cup)
3 g sugars
167 calories
0 g fat

 

[Groove Armada]

10. MOST SUGAR-PACKED CEREAL
Quaker Natural Granola Oat & Honey & Raisins
(1 cup)
30 g sugars
420 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
6 g fiber
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 2 scoops of Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Fudge Tracks Ice Cream
Like eating dessert for breakfast? Because that's basically what granola is. Sure, there's a splash of fiber, but it's completely diluted by a tidal wave of sugar. In fact, sugar accounts for more than a third of the calories in this bowl, and unfortunately, Quaker's is the rule, not the exception. The only acceptable use for granola is to crumble a small handful into plain yogurt. Save your bowls for a cereal more wholesome.


Bonus tip: Not into Shredded Wheat? See what other cereals rank well on our list of the 24 Best and Worst Cereals.

Eat This Instead!
Post Shredded Wheat (1 cup)
0 g sugars
170 calories
1 g fat (6 g fiber)

9. MOST SUGAR-PACKED CHINESE MEAL
Manchu Wok Honey Garlic Chicken with Fried Rice
34 g sugars
840 calories
34 g fat (6 g saturated)
2,100 mg sodium
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 3 chocolate Eclairs


Why does this simple Chinese meal pack as much sugar as a pack of Skittles? Blame the Honey Garlic Sauce bathing the chicken. The Honey Garlic Chicken packs about twice the sugar as the Pineapple Chicken, so making that switch will automatically improve the dish. Do yourself one extra favor and switch to mixed vegetables instead of rice as a side. You'll earn flavor and nutrients while eliminating 280 calories.


Eat This Instead!
Pineapple Chicken with Mixed Vegetables
17 g sugars
130 calories

8. MOST SUGAR-PACKED MALL SNACK
Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel with Sweet Dip
61 g sugars
600 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 21 Starburst Fruit Chews
The combination of the sweetest pretzel with the sweetest dip (there are 32 grams of sugar in that little cup!) makes this the most nefarious option for your blood sugar and your choppers. Nothing trumps marinara in the battle for a better dip, but to complement the sweet flavor of a raisin pretzel, cream cheese is far safer than the other options. Cut an extra 30 calories by asking them to prepare your pretzel sans butter.
Bonus tip: See which fast-food joint made our list of the 20 Best Restaurant Meals 2009.


Eat This Instead!
Raisin Pretzel with Cream Cheese
16 grams sugars
440 calories
11 g fat (7.5 g saturated)

 

[Groove Armada]

7. MOST SUGAR-PACKED KIDS' MEAL
Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables
61 g sugars
680 calories
22 g fat (9 g saturated)
1,440 mg sodium
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 6 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups


The Maxed Out line is the worst of the lackluster Lunchables, with a back label that reads like a chemistry textbook. By cramming dessert and a supersweet drink into the box, Oscar manages to saddle this already-troubled package with more added sugar than your child should take in all day.


Eat This Instead!
Oscar Mayer Cracker Stackers Lean Ham & Cheddar
6 g sugars
340 calories
19 g fat (9 g saturated)
1,110 mg sodium


6. MOST SUGAR-PACKED JUICE
Tropicana Grape Juice Beverage (15.2-ounce bottle)
72 g sugars
290 calories
0 g fat
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 4 Klondike Ice Cream Sandwiches


This beverage has more than 10 percent of your day’s calories and as much sugar as 7 glazed doughnuts. Want to know why? It’s made from just 30 percent juice (which is already naturally sweet)—but grape juice concentrate shows up third on the list of ingredients after filtered water and high fructose corn syrup. When drinking juice, opt for 100 percent, and keep portion sizes small.


Drink This Instead!
Minute Maid Mixed Berry 100% Juice (1 box, 6.75 fl oz)
23 g sugars
100 calories
0 g fat

5. MOST SUGAR-PACKED SODA
Sunkist (20-ounce bottle)
85 g sugars
325 calories
0 g fat
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 17 Chewy Chips Ahoy! Cookies


This one drink contains as much sugar as most people consume in a day—and that’s accounting for the fact that most people consume way too much of the sweet stuff. That’s because, just like the grape juice mentioned above, it’s made up mostly of water and high fructose corn syrup (only the water in this soda is carbonated). Diet Sunkist cuts out all real sugar, but you’re still better off skipping the soda altogether.


Drink This Instead!
Honest Ade Orange Mango (16.9-ounce bottle)
24 g sugars
100 calories


4. MOST SUGAR-PACKED COFFEE DRINK
Starbucks Tazo Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Crème with Whipped Cream (20 ounces)
97 g sugars
650 calories
15 g fat (8 g saturated, 0 g trans)
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 11 York Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties


While green tea has myriad health benefits, presentation is key—and this green tea concoction has been so nutritionally sullied that any potential benefits are utterly lost. Not only does this one drink contain over a quarter of your day’s calories, it also packs nearly half a day’s worth of saturated fat—and, as we mention above, as much sugar as you’ll find in 11 Peppermint Patties. Your best bet when ordering at a coffee chain is to skip the fancy drinks altogether. Order a regular green tea, without all the trimmings.


Drink This Instead!
Tazo Tea (Venti)
0 g sugars
0 calories
0 g fat

 

[Groove Armada]

3. MOST SUGAR-PACKED ICE CREAM
Coldstone Creamery JELL-O Butterscotch Pudding Ice Cream (Gotta Have It-size)
97 g sugars
830 calories
41 g fat (27 g saturated, 1 g trans)
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 5 scoops of Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla Ice Cream


Part of the problem here is that you’ve ordered Coldstone’s Gotta Have It size, which is the equivalent of ordering about three scoops of ice cream from another joint, like Ben and Jerry’s. The other problem is that this ice cream has been mixed with JELL-O Pudding flavor, which basically amounts to more sugar. Stick to the smalls, and choose the Butter Pecan instead to cut over two-thirds of the sugar content and more than half the calories.


Eat This Instead!
Butter Pecan Ice Cream (Like It-size)
28 g sugars
330 calories
19 g fat (12 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)


2. MOST SUGAR-PACKED SHAKE
Coldstone Creamery Very Vanilla Shake (Gotta Have It-size)
192 g sugars
1820 calories
85 g fat (59 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 6 and a half Snickers bars


When lambasting Coldstone milkshakes, we normally focus all of our attention on the gluttonous PB&C monstrosity, which weighs in at over 2,000 calories. But the Very Very Vanilla bests the PB&C in sugar content by nearly four popsicles’ worth. Suck down this sinful diet destructor, and you’ll consume nearly a full day’s worth of calories, three days’ worth of saturated fat, your total daily allotment of artery-clogging trans fatty acids, and as much sugar as in more than six Snickers bars! The bad news is that even Coldstone’s Sinless Smoothie line contains an outrageous amount of sugar—we’ll have to recommend the Butter Pecan Ice Cream, once again. Or, better yet—just skip Coldstone altogether!


Bonus tip: See our list of the 15 Worst Desserts in America.


Eat This Instead!
Butter Pecan Ice Cream (Like It-size)
28 g sugars
330 calories
19 g fat (12 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)


1. MOST SUGAR-PACKED ITEM IN AMERICA
Smoothie King Grape Expectations II (40-oz)
250 g sugars
1096 calories
0 g fat
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 30 Chocolate Drizzle Rice Krispies Treats


There’s only one other item on the Smoothie King menu with as much sugar as this smoothie, and that’s a drink intended to help guys bulk up fast—so it’s overloaded. That’s still no excuse for packing 250 grams of sugar into one measly cup, but at least it’s flagrantly and openly excessive—unlike this grape drink, which is listed under the menu’s “Snack Right” section, if you can believe it.
Drink This Instead!
Low-Carb Strawberry (20-oz)
3 g sugars
268 calories
9 g fat (4 g saturated fat)

 

[zuoom]

maybe that's why sugar raise by so much recently? the consumer love sugar to know any better.

 

[Glaringly]

If I can turn back the clock. I won't touch groundnuts.

Almost all my molars are gone now... Shit.

 

[Ramseth]

Sometimes I wonder how's Coke Zero concocted free of sugar. As for canned fruit, the syrup is always too sweet, but there's not much problem. I just dilute it with ice and water down to my taste, i.e. slightly sweeter than plain.