10 Foods Full of Hidden Sugar and 10 Keto Options
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Sugar is so sneaky!
Sugar is hidden in so many everyday foods it might be tough to know what your TRUE keto options are.
While you already check over your nutrition labels, we checked out the sugar concentration of a few popular foods and equated the serving size into sugar packets (roughly 3.5g sugar per packet). We’ve gotta say, the amount of sugar we found turned us sour (and salty).
1. Ketchup
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 40 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 280mg | Total Carbs: 10g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 8g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Heinz No Sugar Added Ketchup
Serving size: 1 tbsp | Calories: 10 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 200mg | Total Carbs: 1g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 1g) | Protein: 0g
2. Fat-Free / Low-Fat salad dressings
Low-fat French dressing
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 50 | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 430mg | Total Carbs: 12g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 9g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Hidden Valley Ranch
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 140 | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 260mg | Total Carbs: 2g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 1g) | Protein: 1g
Hip Pick: Wish-Bone Bleu Cheese
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 130 | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 230mg | Total Carbs: 1g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 1g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Newman’s Own Italian
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 130 | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 360mg | Total Carbs: 1g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 1g
3. BBQ sauce
Stubb’s Sticky Sweet
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 45 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 200mg | Total Carbs: 12g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 10g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Walden Farms Thick N Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 0 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 210mg | Total Carbs: 0g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Gia Brands G Hughes Smokehouse BBQ Sauce
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 10 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 190mg | Total Carbs: 2g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
4. Protein bars
Blueberry RX bar
Serving size: 1 bar, 52g | Calories: 210 | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 115mg | Total Carbs: 24g (Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 15g) | Protein: 12g
Hip Pick: Epic All Natural Meat Bar
Serving size: 1 bar | Calories: 140 | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 290mg | Total Carbs: 4g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 2g) | Protein: 11g
5. Low-fat flavored yogurt
Yoplait Strawberry Banana Yogurt
Serving size: 6oz. | Calories: 150 | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 105mg | Total Carbs: 26g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 19g) | Protein: 6g
Hip Tip: Look for high-fat, plain, unsweetened Greek/Fage yogurts like Greek Gods or Oikos. At 4.5 carbs per dense half-cup, a little goes a LONG way.
Hip Pick: Fage Total 5% All Natural Greek Yogurt
Serving size: 1 cup | Calories: 210 | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 80mg | Total Carbs: 7g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 7g) | Protein: 20g
6. Coffee Syrups
Torani Caramel Coffee Syrup
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 100 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 100mg | Total Carbs: 25g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 24g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Torani sugar-free syrups
Serving size: 2 tbsp | Calories: 0 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 5mg | Total Carbs: 0g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
7. Dried Fruit
Dried Cranberries
Serving size: .25 cup | Calories: 140 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 0mg | Total Carbs: 34g (Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Fresh blueberries
Serving size: 1/4 cup | Calories: 21 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 200mg | Total Carbs: 5g (Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g) | Protein: 0g
8. Gatorade
Fruit Punch Gatorade bottle
Serving size: 1 bottle (20 oz.) | Calories: 130 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 270mg | Total Carbs: 34g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 34g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: SmartWater
Serving size: 1 bottle | Calories: 0 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 0mg | Total Carbs: 0g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Tip: We’ve also outlined more electrolyte-rich options in this post!
9. Fruit Juice
Publix White Grape Juice
Serving size: 8 fl oz | Calories: 160 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 35mg | Total Carbs: 40g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 40g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Stur sugar-free flavor drops
Serving size: 1 squeeze in 8 oz. of water | Calories: 0 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 0mg | Total Carbs: 0g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
10. Soda
Coca-Cola Classic bottle
Serving size: 1 bottle (20 oz.) | Calories: 140 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 75mg | Total Carbs: 65g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 65g) | Protein: 0g
Hip Pick: Diet Coke
Serving size: 1 can (12 oz.) | Calories: 0 | Fat: 0g | Sodium: 40mg | Total Carbs: 0g (Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g) | Protein: 0g
Whoa, not so sweet, huh?
That doesn’t mean you can’t still have your favorite foods and drinks! Check out our favorite keto condiments, the best sugar alternatives, and some delicious keto snacks!
And remember: part of your long-term keto success is making changes from high carb options to ones which help stabilize your blood sugar. As such, artificial sweeteners, fruit, and dairy should be approached with caution. Pay attention to what works best within your macros (and your lifestyle) and adjust accordingly.
Kroger carbmaster yogurt has about 5 carbs, 1-2 sugars depending on the variety.
So you’re ok with splenda??
Hi Dana! Splenda is a YMMV sweetener. The powder contains fillers, so a concentrated liquid like EZSweetz is best. At the same time pay attention to how hungry it might make you.