Hidden Sugar Found In Everyday Food

Every time we eat something sugary, the plaque on our teeth interacts with the sugar, creating acid which is harmful to your teeth, causing tooth decay.

Here are some foods that we eat often that contain more sugar than you would expect.

Salad Dressing

Getting your greens from a salad is essential for diet and nutrition but you should be careful of the salad dressings you are using. Sweet French dressings can have up to seven grams of sugar in one serving. Look out for ingredients such as dextrose, honey, glucose, and maltose which are just variations of sugar.

Soups And Sauces

Although they are savoury foods, many store bought pasta sauces have between 6 and 12 grams of sugar per serving.

Vegetable soups and pasta sauces that contain tomatoes can also be acid and lead to enamel erosion and dental decay when consumed regularly. It is recommended that you rinse your mouth out with water after eating to reduce the damage.

Breakfast Smoothies

Fruit’s natural sugar, fructose, is a common cause of cavities as the bacteria in the mouth feed on it. Fruit and vegetable juices also tend to be extremely acidic which can cause severe damage to the enamel on your teeth. Although fruit and vegetables are considered as healthy, this is when they are considered whole and not as a concentrated juice. Adding milk to your smoothies can help to counteract the acid damage to the teeth. It is also advisable to drink through a straw.

Breakfast Bars And Yoghurts

Although they can be a quick and easy breakfast option, processed foods contain a lot of sugar. Plain yoghurts contain naturally occurring sugars, but often the fruity ones add lots of sugar to enhance and sweeten the flavour.

Energy and granola bars can be very deceiving as to the amount of sugar they contain. They are often advertised as the healthy option when this is not always the case.

Bread

Depending on the type of bread you buy, it can contain a lot of sugar. White bread contains the most sugar which is why we advise you to eat brown or wholemeal.

Bread has a gummy consistency when chewed, meaning that small particles can get trapped between teeth, making it difficult to remove them.

Alcohol

The excessive amount of sugar that is present in alcoholic drinks is often overlooked. However, not only is it damaging to your liver, but also your oral health.

The large amount of sugar in alcohol erodes your tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay.

When eating these types of foods, make sure you are checking the sugar content to ensure that you are not falling for the hidden sugars.