This Is What A Days Worth Of Sugar Looks Like

1 pack of maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal : 12 grams

Youve heard that instant oatmeal can be high in sugar (and with brown sugar in the name, you know that theres at least some sweet stuff in there), but this breakfast has the same amount of sugar youd get from half of a bakery-bought brownie . Food for thought.

A sandwich made with...

- Two slices of whole wheat bread : 6 grams
- Two ounces of deli ham or honey smoked turkey : 2 grams
Lunch total: 8 grams

Even whole wheat bread can contain more sugar than you think, so be sure to read the nutrition facts before you put a loaf in your cart. As for the sandwich meat, anything honey smoked or honey roasted is best avoidedchoose non-sweet roasted varieties instead to save at least a gram or two of sugar. If plain oven roasted ham or turkey doesnt do it for you, try varieties packed with herbs and spices (like rosemary ham or cracked pepper turkey ) for flavor with less sugar.

A smoothie made with one cup of vanilla almond milk : 16 grams.

All those grams disappear if you choose an unsweetened version instead.

Pasta topped with 1/2 cup of jarred tomato sauce : 8 grams.

Pasta sauce is one of those sneaky sugar sources we often talk about. Not all brands are high in the sweet stuff though, so check the label before you put it in your shopping cart. Or better yet, make your own.

One chocolate chip cookie : 5.5 grams.

Thats just one cookie, and a relatively small one (about 2 inches across) at that! A cookie of our preferred size has more like 16.5 grams of sugar. Whoops.

TOTAL: 49.5 grams of added sugar

Steel cut oatmeal sprinkled with 1 teaspoons loosely packed brown sugar: 6.3 grams.

Its tempting to pack down your brown sugar, but youll end up consuming much more, and youre only fooling yourself.

Salad topped with 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing : 3.16 grams.

Using Italian dressing instead of higher sugar options like Russian dressing (7 grams per 2 tablespoons), French dressing (5.1 grams per 2 tablespoons), and honey mustard (7 grams per 2 tablespoons), is a smart way to cut sugar without feeling deprived.

One container of plain, full fat Greek yogurt (4 grams of sugar) with 1/4 cup store bought granola mixed in (2 grams of sugar): 6 grams.

Non-flavored yogurts tend to be lower in added sugar, as do full fat varieties (sugar can be added to low-fat versions to pump up the flavor). Granola can also be a sugar bomb, so be mindful of your portions.

Pasta topped with 1/3 cup jarred pasta sauce : 5.3 grams.

If you dont have homemade sauce (we get it, making pasta sauce is a whole lot less convenient than opening a jar), try to cut back on your portion instead.

Fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream, made with 1 teaspoon of sugar: 4.2 grams.

Raspberries and blackberries are especially delicious here, plus theyre packed with antioxidants, which makes the whipped cream much easier to justify.

TOTAL: 24.96 grams of added sugar