Too much added sugar in your diet can accelerate the aging process and lead to conditions such as fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, neurodegenerative diseases, and loss of bone and muscle, according to a 2017 article in Nutrition Research Reviews. The American Heart Association suggests that women get no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day. You’d be surprised how quickly that adds up if you sprinkle some sugar in your coffee or have a little dessert. It’s always best to opt for healthier snacks, but you shouldn’t assume that your favorite granola bar falls in that category.
A Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain breakfast bar might sound like a healthy choice at 130 calories, but this cherry-flavored treat has 12 grams of added sugar. It also has ingredients you won’t find in your pantry such as vegetable glycerin, mono- and diglycerides, and methylcellulose. Nature Valley’s peanut butter granola bars have 200 calories per serving and 11 grams of added sugar, with the additive soy lecithin also on the list of ingredients. And you’ll probably want to put down that Clif Bar as a snack unless you’re engaged in heavy exercise: A Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar will give you 15 grams of added sugar in the form of organic brown rice syrup, tapioca syrup, and cane syrup (which are essentially just fancy terms for sugar).
