A lot of products contain unexpected sugars. Products that you might expect to be healthy. It's a shame that there are sugars in so many products-and quite frankly, it's not very nice to know-but it's very important if you want to be (more) conscious about nutrition.

Many supermarket products contain hidden sugars. This makes it extra important for you to pay attention and invest in reading the labels. That way you know better what you are ingesting and can make a conscious choice as to whether it is still the right choice for you. 

These products are unexpectedly high in sugar:

• Plant-based milk: in many plant-based milks, sugar is added for flavor ... a shame!
• Spice mixes: spice mixes are sometimes padded with sugars, to improve the taste or as "filler. You are then secretly buying sugar instead of spices.
• Granola or protein bars: these are often sugar bombs, just look at the labels and judge for yourself if it's still worth it ;)
• Sauces: many sauces have added sugar, such as peanut sauce and chili sauce.
• Muesli: to give flavor to the muesli, sugar is added
• Fruit juice: fruit juice is pure sugar, because the fiber of the fruit has been filtered out, only the sugar remains. Often it feels healthy because it is made from fruit, but unfortunately it is not.

The alternatives

When (any of) these products are part of your shopping list, it's nice to know what you can redeem them for or how to go for a healthier choice.

• Vegetable milk: choose the unsweetened version, this way you limit the number of sugars you ingest.
• Spice mixes: choose the spice mixes with no added sugars, it is best if the spice mixes consist only of spices. You can also choose to mix the spices yourself!
• Muesli or protein bars: go for a bar that contains very pure ingredients such as nuts and seeds. And look carefully on the nutritional values for the amount of sugar it contains. Sometimes there are dates in a bar, for example, this increases the sugar content. In that case, choose this version rather than a bar with added sugar.
• Sauces: it is very easy to make your own sauces! For example, take (vegetable) yogurt as a base with herbs and garlic and you have a delicious sauce to go with your dish.
• Muesli: go for as few ingredients as possible on the ingredient list. Again, an easy option is to make your own granola. Very easy in the oven with honey, nuts and seeds for example!
• Fruit juice: always choose a fresh smoothie over a fruit juice. Chewing your smoothie also helps with processing. When you chew, enzymes are released that help you digest the smoothie better.
• Alternatives as a base for cooking: honey, green stevia and dates, for example. These are natural products that are very sweet by themselves. A good replacement for refined sugar. And again, pay attention to quantities. In the end, sugar is still sugar. 

So you have a lot of options to make healthier choices thankfully! In the beginning it requires an investment from yourself to read the labels or to make alternatives yourself. But once you realize that you're ingesting a lot of sugars unnoticed, it also gives you the opportunity to cut back. When you do, your body and brain will thank you!