9 Sneaky Sources of Sugar

Who's the scariest supervillain of all time? Darth Vader? The Joker? Bruce Jenner's plastic surgeon? All pretty nasty, it's true. But let me nominate an evil force with greater powers. A villain who can be both solid and liquid, who can be as fine as dust or as hard as rock, and who lives inside of almost everything you eat. I'm talking, of course, about sugar.

I've yet to meet a person who doesn't occasionally crave something sweet—ice cream, cookies, candy. We think to ourselves: "One brownie won't kill us. It's harmless." And that's true—one brownie is harmless. But it accounts for only a fraction of the sugar you'll eat in a day.

According to the American Heart Association, Americans down about 22 teaspoons of the sweet stuff every day. (Imagine choking that down all at one time.) And most of that comes from less-than-obvious sources. Manufacturers today put sugar in everything from the bread in your pantry to the turkey on your table. That makes sweet ol' sugar the ultimate supervillain—or at the very least a driving force behind heart disease and diabetes.

So let's put this into perspective. If you're currently taking in more than 120,000 sugar calories each year—as is the average American—then you're adding 35 pounds of sugar-induced flab to your body annually. But here's the good news: Every dark thriller has a path to salvation. To help you find the way, I've identified the most nefarious sources of sugar currently crouching in the dark shadows of your diet. Start dodging these villains today and you'll earn a body worthy of a sequel. (And to stay on top of the latest and greatest weight loss trends, sign up for our FREE Eat This, Not That! daily newsletter and be sure to follow me on Twitter. You'll melt belly fat and improve your health—without ever dieting.)

Sneaky Sugar Source #9: Asian Sauces

Asian sauces—or at least American versions of Asian sauces—are notorious sources of hidden sugars. The viscous liquids that give us sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork, and beef teriyaki aren't all that dissimilar from pancake syrup. Check the nutrition label for ingredients like corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and watch out for anything that ends in "-ose" (dextrose, maltose). These are all forms of sugar. Then be prepared to do some math—most bottled sauces list nutrition information for impractically small serving sizes. Who uses only 1 tablespoon of sauce?

Eat This!
La Choy Stir-Fry Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade (1 Tbsp)
10 calories
0 g fat
1 g sugars

Not That!
La Choy Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce (1 Tbsp)
40 calories
0 g fat
8 g sugars

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