Sugar: Where Is It Found?
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Sugar is an ingredient in many foods. Fruit has natural sugar called fructose and milk has natural sugar called lactose. Some foods, even those that don’t seem sweet, have sugar that has been added by the manufacturer. “Added sugars” are sugars or sweeteners that have been added to foods rather than being a natural part of those foods
Foods high in added sugars are often high in calories but low in important nutrients, and often they have little benefit for a growing child. Eating foods high in added sugars may increase a child’s weight, reduce their energy level, and increase their risks for heart and other diseases when they get older.
Choosing foods that are low in added sugar can help your child be healthy.
Tips for eating less added sugar
Choose drinks without sugar
- Sugar in drinks is easy to accidentally drink in large amounts
- Drink water, seltzer water, and flavored waters with no added sugar.
- Avoid sodas, energy drinks and sweet beverages such as sweetened iced tea and sweetened coffee drinks
- Avoid sports drinks such as Gatorade unless you are doing a lot of hard physical activity.
- Avoid juice unless you have diabetes and are treating a low blood sugar with juice.
Read the ingredient list
Sugar comes in many forms and has different names. Read food labels and avoid foods that have these sugar ingredients near the top of their ingredient list:
- Sugar/Cane sugar
- Honey
- Molasses/Maltodextrin
- Fruit juice or vegetable juice concentrates
- Agave nectar
- Brown sugar
- High fructose corn syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Dextrose, Fructose, Sucrose, Maltose or Glucose
To learn more, see our handout “How to Read Food Labels" seattlechildrens.org/pdf/PE1543.pdf
Compare Nutrition Facts labels
Foods like cereal, yogurt, and canned fruit may have more sugar than we might expect. Compare food labels of similar foods and choose options with less sugar.
See below for examples.
Lower Sugar Yogurt (Per 1 serving)
Chobani Greek, plain and fruit- Chobani Less Sugar Greek
- Fage, plain and fruit
- Siggis
- Tillamook Farmstyle Greek, plain and fruit
- Wallaby Greek, plain and fruit
- Dannon Oikos Triple Zero
- Dannon Two Good
- Dannon Light & Fit Greek
High Sugar Yogurt (Per 1 serving)
Brown Cow- Ellenos
- Fage, honey flavor
- Noosa
- Tillamook Good & Creamy
- Stoneyfield Organic
- Yoplait Original
- Dannon Oikos Greek
- Dannon Fruit on the Bottom
Low Sugar Cereal (Per 1 serving)
Cheerios, original or multigrain- Chex, corn, rice or wheat
- Kix, original
- Corn Flakes, original
- Rice Krispies, original
- Honey Bunches of Oats, honey roasted
- Grape Nuts, original and flakes
- Life Cereal, original
High Sugar Cereal (Per 1 serving)
Lucky Charms- Cocoa Krispies
- Froot Loops
- Frosted Flakes
- Frosted Mini Wheats
- Honey Smacks
- Alpha Bits
- Golden Crisp
- Captain Crunch, original
To Learn More
- Nutrition
206-987-4758 - Ask your child’s healthcare provider
- seattlechildrens.org/patient-education
Free Interpreter Services
- In the hospital, ask your nurse.
- From outside the hospital, call the toll-free Family Interpreting Line, 1-866-583-1527. Tell the interpreter the name or extension you need.
