Mayo Clinic Minute: Surprising sources of added sugar

Added sugar in foods not only adds extra calories, it also can have direct toxic effects, such as tooth decay and even a risk for heart disease. Minimizing the amount of added sugar in your diet is important. However, you may not even realize how much added sugar you consume. That's because some unsuspecting foods you may think are healthy, contain added sugar.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic physician specializing in nutrition and the editor of "The Mayo Clinic Diet," explains what to look out for when trying to avoid added sugar.

When trying to identify how much added sugar is in packaged food, look at the nutrition food label. You might be surprised by what you find.

You may think you're making healthy choices, but certain salad dressings, condiments, canned soups, and even granola and protein bars can be sneaky sources of added sugar. And it can add up fast.

Dr. Hensrud suggests paying close attention to food labels and trying to consume foods that contain natural sugars, like fruits, which are low in calories and contain vitamins and minerals.
____________________________________________