Sweet Retreat Week 3 Challenge Submissions Last weeks challenge was all about the sugar in your drinks so this week we will focus on the sugars in your foods. Not all sugar should be avoided. Naturally occurring sugar is found naturally in a variety of foods including milk, fruits, veggies and grains. These foods provide the body with energy and a variety of important vitamins and minerals. They are packed with good nutrition! Sugars added to foods and beverages are the ones to be wary of as they can promote a host of health problems if too much is consumed. The purpose of this challenge is to increase your sugar sleuthing skills by identifying sources of added sugars in your foods. Heres what you found!

This is my 3rd week in this challenge I am really surprised for all food that find sugar added, now I will buy healthier options. Betsabe Martin, Mexico

The item with surprisingly low sugar content was Yellow Mustard zero grams of sugar Surprised to find sugar in cheddar lays wavy potato chips 2 grams of sugar per serving (serving size is 13 chips) High sugar content in Hunts BBQ sauce 17 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons Added sugars identified in the following items: Shrimp sauce contains high fructose corn syrup Jif Peanut butter contains sugar and molasses Hunts BBQ sauce contains Brown sugar, molasses, sugar and high fructose corn syrup 90 calorie Fiber One bar contains sugar, high maltose corn syrup and fructose. Sherry Miracle, PPS-Neenah

The 2nd ingredient in Natural Jif Creamy PB is sugar which shows its high in sugar. The last ingredient is molasses, which is also a form of sugar. Even though the 2nd ingredient on this jar shows sugar, the total grams of sugar on this jar is 3 grams which surprised me. I thought it would be higher.

2nd one that surprised me was Simply Balanced Organic Thompson raisins. The only ingredient shows Organic Raisins yet the total grams of sugar on the jar were 29 grams. I would think it would have been lower. Crystal Fischer, Deforest

A favorite snack of mine is Kelloggs fruit snacks. The label says they are gluten free, fat free, 100 calories per serving, 100% daily value of vitamin C and made with real fruit. I thought they were a pretty healthy snack. After looking closer at the nutrition label, I discovered each 2.5 oz package has two servings which equal 32 grams of sugar with corn syrup and sugar listed as the first two ingredients. I think a better choice for a snack would be a piece of fruit. Laura Lentz, Hartford

It was a surprise to find that frozen vegetables had 3g of sugar and 1 cup of low fat milk has 12g of sugar and 2 pieces of wheat bread 2g of sugar which was lower than I expected. David Drewry, Chicago (Downtown)

The item I looked at with high sugar content was Sunny D the drink. It had 19 grams of sugar. I also found added sugar in there of Corn Syrup. I had some cake donuts at home and was surprised that those contained less sugar than peaches in a cup. Loretta Tonn, Hartford

Foods high in sugar: Dole diced peaches in light syrup: 1 small serving cup = 18 grams sugar, 80 calories Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins: 1 muffin = 18 grams sugar, 180 calories Quaker Oatmeal to Go, Brown Sugar Cinnamon: 1 bar = 19 grams sugar, 220 calories Sweet Baby Rays Honey Barbecue Sauce: 2 tablespoons = 15 grams sugar, 70 calories Prego 3-Cheese Spaghetti Sauce : 1/2 cup = 11 grams sugar, 80 calories Skinny Cow Low-fat Ice Cream Cone: 1 cone = 19 grams sugar, 150 calories Fat free and low calories does not always mean low in sugar! Surprising to see Weight Watchers and Skinny Cow brand items that are so high in their sugar content! Rachel Snell, York

What item(s) had high sugar content? Green Tea In what items did you find added sugars listed in the ingredient list (see list above)? Macaroni and Cheese, Were there any items that you could easily substitute with lower-sugar alternatives? Tea Tell us about an item that you were surprised to find sugar in. pretzel chips Were there any items that were surprisingly low in sugar content? Potatoes -Melissa Acosta, Rock Island

Didnt realize how much added sugar was in craisins (29grams per serving = 7.25 teaspoons). Was adding them to my healthy salads at lunch. Found the reduced sugar craisins at the store, which is down to 14 grams (3.5 teaspoons). Who knew?!?! Troy Martin, Neenah Plant

Some items at home: Raison Bran Crunch. 19g sugar. Has added sugars- brown sugar syrup, honey, corn syrup, malt flavor, molasses. This surprises me theres so many sugars, I thought I was eating super healthy cereal L Graham Crackers. 8g sugar. Has honey in it. I could eat saltine crackers instead, they only have .27g of sugar. Miracle Whip. 1g sugar. Has high fructose corn syrup in it. This has less grams of sugar than I would have guessed. Kristan Williams, Muscatine

Ketchup- 3.7 grams sugar/Tablespoon (surprised at how much sugar is on one tablespoon!) Kashi Go lean cereal- 13 grams sugar/serving Barilla Plus Angel Hair Pasta- 2 grams sugar/serving

I thought all of these items had unnecessary added sugar. If watching sugar intake- Alternatives for each one would be- Substitute Original Cheerios for Kashi (only 1 gram sugar/serving) Make homemade ketchup and use a sugar substitute Substitute Brown Rice for Pasta- only .7 grams sugar/serving -Amy Bravick, PPS-Neenah

My favorite thing to eat for breakfast is the Oats and Chocolate Fiber One Bar. I kinda thought with the chocolate it would be very high in sugar, but after looking at the nutrition fact is only contains 10 grams of sugar/bar. A lot less than I thought. Still very high according to the amount we are supposed to limit ourselves to on a daily basis! I dont eat a lot of sugary items so I will continue to eat these! Kristina Moser, Hartford

What item(s) had high sugar content?

Nutrigrain bars, Gatorade, maple syrup

In what items did you find added sugars listed in the ingredient list (see list above)?

Sugar, dextrose, fructose, invert sugar, and corn syrup in Nutrigrain bars

Were there any items that you could easily substitute with lower-sugar alternatives?

I could easily eat bowl of oats in the morning instead of a breakfast bar

Tell us about an item that you were surprised to find sugar in.

Nutrigrain bars - I thought they would be slightly healthier than what they actually were

Were there any items that were surprisingly low in sugar content?

Musselmans Natural Applesauce - it's so deliciously sweet!

-Rachel Thompson, Madison Heights

I was surprised to see some much and different kinds of sugar in Roaster Granola. I eat this item as a snack throughout the day. I looked on the back if I eat the whole bag which takes me about two weeks, it has as much sugar as 5 energy drinks. I was always told granola was good for you but with sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey its just as bad as having a Mt Dew to drink. Goal to self is to find a healthier snack. Savannah Graham, Urbana

I was surprised to find so much sugar in protein drinks. Ron Timm, Home Office

While rummaging through the cabinets in my home, I found the following.

What item(s) had high sugar content? The highest I found was in the granola bars.

In what items did you find added sugars listed in the ingredient list (see list above)? Just about everything. I need to watch out for this stuff.

Were there any items that you could easily substitute with lower-sugar alternatives? I feel like Ive done pretty well without sacrificing too much taste or switching to artificial sweeteners. As stated below, Ill probably change peanut butter.

Tell us about an item that you were surprised to find sugar in. - 7g of sugar in Kraft mac&cheese? Why? Peanut butter even has sugar? Ugh. Next time Ill be sure to get the all natural, Ingredients=Peanuts.

Were there any items that were surprisingly low in sugar content? While 21g of sugar is a lot, I was expecting much more in Hersheys Special Dark chocolate bars. Ill probably stick to using this for cooking items rather than eating it by itself.

-Mike Donegan, Philadelphia

I checked my pantry and fridge and found all the usual suspects. Its interesting that the yogurt my kids love which reads 25% less sugar still has 18 grams in one little cup! I also noted the even the salsa I enjoy also has added sugar. Not a lot, but its added sugar which doesnt need to be there. Debbie Boardman, Neenah Plant

A lean Cuisine Szechuan Style Strir Fry w/ Shrimp has 13g of sugar which I thought was high. A 3oz Spam Single had 1g of sugar which I though was surprisingly low. A 14.75oz can of Spaghettios w/ meatballs has 6g of sugar per can which I thought was high. Dan Frankfurth, PPS-Neenah

What item(s) had high sugar content? I Found a high Content in the Apple sauce! It has almost 7 tSP for only 100 Grms

In what items did you find added sugars listed in the ingredient list (see list above)? I found added sugars in The barbeque sauce !!

Were there any items that you could easily substitute with lower-sugar alternatives? Yes Sure It will be healthier to eat the Raw Apple and its healthier because of the rich fiber .

Tell us about an item that you were surprised to find sugar in. I was surprised to find added sugar in Beans .

Were there any items that were surprisingly low in sugar content? I was very surprised that the Peanut butter has very low amount of sugar added, I found interesting that when I make a P&J sandwich what makes it high in sugar is when I add the Jelly , now I will put less Jelly in my sandwiches so it doesnt have that much sugar. Gabriela Mar, Mexico

I looked at three different items for sugar content: Ragu spaghetti sauce has 8 grams sugar per cup. Honey Nut Spins cereal has 11 grams sugar per cup. One can of corn I have has 8 grams of sugar per cup, and I was surprised to see that this particular brand (Allens) actually listed sugar in the ingredients. I had a different brand as well, and that one still had 7 grams but no added sugar. The only one of these that surprised me was the one can of corn. I would not have expected, and certainly dont want, added sugar in a can of vegetables. This was a good exercise as I never would have thought to check a basic can of vegetables for added sugar. Julie Weyenberg, MPC Home Office

I dont buy any processed food or drinks so I didnt have much to compare for this challenge. I did find that the canned tomatoes I buy have 3 grams of sugar even though its not an added ingredient, its a natural sugar. I also buy Skinny Pop and even though its naturally sweet and contains: Popcorn, sunflower oil, cane sugar and salt it has less than 1 g of sugar per serving. Lisa Libassi, Chicago Downtown

I was surprised how much sugar my fat free tapioca pudding had 16 grams. Of course, my tootsie rolls first two ingredients were sugar and corn syrup. Christine Olsen, Home Office

What items had high sugar content:

Maple syrup- 53g

Cranberry juice cocktail- 30g

Red Bull energy drink-27g

Sweet and sour cooking sauce- 24g

Half and half iced tea- 24g

Were there any items you could substitute with low sugar alternatives?

Iced tea- 24g. Substitute with flavored water.

Ketchup- 4g. Substitute with mustard/ hot sauce.

Salad dressing- 4g. Substitute with homemade oil/ vinegar blend.

Frozen fruit mix- 11g. Substitute with fresh fruit.

Item I was surprised to find sugar in was Greek Yogurt (6g). Brian Wuensch, Lyndhurst

During the summer months one of my favorite foods is steak on the grill. I was glad to see that Kraft A1 Steak Sauce only contains 2 grams of sugar per Tbsp. Although. it is high in sodium so it still needs to be used in moderation.- Brenda Johnsen, PPS-Neenah

Island Pineapple Jello

19g sugar per serving

4 servings per 3oz box

Jello makes No Sugar gelatin substitutes. Josh Cummings, Corporate

This week I looked at Mini Fruit Roll Ups. It had both corn syrup and sugar as added ingredients. This item could easily be substituted with fresh fruit. Traci Miller, Neenah Plant

I found that added sugar was in my KIND granola that I put on my oatmeal in the morning. There are 6 grams per 1/3 cup. Added sugars in the product come from dried cane syrup, molasses, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. I have been buying lower sugar oatmeal which has 4 grams per serving. I could substitute the real oatmeal instead of the flavored packets. Due to the convenience factor I will probably stick to the packets, but add fresh fruit for extra flavor versus the granola. Amy Kumaraperu, Corporate

I cook a lot of whole foods and don't have very much packaged processed foods... However I have TONS of condiments -

I was very surprised to find 10 grams of sugar in 2 TBSP of BBQ Sauce!!

How is that even Possible!?? Jessica Comeau, PearceWellwood

I looked at bean sprouts, peanut butter, smoked peanuts, and Crepe mix.

The item that had the highest, but still not high, sugar content was the peanut butter.

All of the items had sugar in it, but none had added sugars.

None of the items I chose could have sugars easily replaced as they did not have added sugars.

I was a little surprised to see there was sugar in the bean sprouts, but it is a natural sugar to the plant, so it was still a little interesting.

I was actually surprised at how little sugar is in the crepe mix, when you think of pancakes you think high sugar, not in this case. Mike Vaughan, Madison Heights

I was surprised to see that a serving of vanilla soy milk has 9 grams of sugar. Unsweetened vanilla almond milk is a good substitute.The yogurt in our fridge has 34 grams of sugar per serving - way too much. We'll have to find a better choice. -Christa Sanders, PPS-Neenah

I chose 4 items from my kitchen and of course, the item with the most sugar is the Friendly's Cookies 'n Cream ice cream. And, unsurprisingly, that is also where I found the added sugars. Yes, the could have substituted the sugar enriched flour and corn syrup with something containing less sugar (such as brown sugar), but it still would have contained sugar. I was surprised to find that pasta contains sugar, but I was more surprised to find that grits do not contain any sugar. It even states on the packaging that it is "not a significant source of sugars..." But that makes sense since when I eat grits I (although I shouldn't) add a little bit of sugar and butter of my own for flavor :) Deanna Frederick, Edison-Truman

2 tablespoon of Hot Fudge Topping has 17 g of sugar.

Neufchatel cheese can be used in place of cream cheese with 1/3 less fat and sugar.

Fruit can be added to neuschtafel cheese to use natural sugars.

Yogurts are a great example of labels to read for added sugars. Some have 8 g of sugar. Some, particularly the whipped, will have over 20 g of sugar. Bonnie Hudec, Hodgkins

Here is my response for Week 3! Thanks! Sam

1. Greek yogurt

2. Apple pie flavored Greek yogurt

3. Since flavored yogurt had such a high sugar content, I tried plain vanilla with sprinkled cinnamon. Great flavor and less sugar!

4. Surprised to see sugar in salsa. Only 2 grams, but some brands have no sugar.

5. A great low sugar option is Roasted red pepper hummus with only 1 gram of sugar. Samantha Goetz, Oconomowoc

What I found is that a lot of the food items I snack on have a lot of added sugar in them, included the ones I thought were healthy such as the Quaker granola bar that I eat after a run. The Quaker granola bar had 12 grams of sugar in 1 bar, and they added brown sugar to it for extra flavor.

Also the biscotti bites I have with my coffee had 11 grams of sugar in 1 serving with added sugar such as corn syrup, and liquid sugar which sounds kind of scary.

It seems one of the most common added sugar ingredients added to the snack items is the corn syrup, I found that in all of them.

Looks like I need to make better choices, and maybe I can get that extra 5 lbs off that I have been stuck on for the last couple of weeks. Kevin Sanderson, York

Is scary when you discovered Special K that is supposed to be healthy has 5 sugar grams per each 30 grams of product and most of this are dangerous for health.

- Juan Rodriguez, Mexico

I am an avid label reader, but 2 products really surprised me:

Bouillon Chicken soup base: 2 grams of sugar per 2 teaspoons (serving size)

Reduced fat cream cheese: 2 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons (serving size)

Both noted sugar, and the bouillon noted corn syrup solids Kim Dresselhaus, Lakeville