These 7 Foods Hide Massive Amounts of Sugar

Hey gang – happy Tuesday!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  I’ve been working away setting up my new fitness studio, Dallas GRIT Fitness.  It’s truly a dream come true, but boy is it a TON of work.  Yesterday the painters started preparing the walls, we got internet installed and I made a final decision on the flooring – woo hoo!  The work continues today so I’m having my friend and fitness partner in crime, Turner, fill in a guest blog post for me.  I’ll be back in action tomorrow with your workout of the week.  I’ll also post some pics of the progress we are making on my studio.  Talk soon.  Lots of luv, Brit

Guest Post from Turner Cavender, owner of Dallas Fit Body Boot Camp. Follow Turner on Instagram @turnercavender

It’s hard to avoid sugar when many common foods secretly contain loads of it.

You may already know that eating an excess of sugar will derail your fitness progress and quickly lead to an increase in body fat.  To add to this fact, recent studies are proving that sugar is even more dangerous than we once thought.

According to a new study published in JAMA International Medicine, our risk of heart attack doubles when 20 percent or more of our caloric intake come from sugar.  That is no joke!  Knowing this, let’s uncover the 7 common foods that you may not have thought contain high amounts of sugar.

1. Fruit Yogurt
Yogurt is packaged and marketed as a diet food for women, which is outrageous. The pretty little packages may be low in fat, but just one serving contains a whopping 19 grams of sugar.

2. Pasta Sauce
This one may come as a surprise, since pasta sauce is considered to be a savory food, but alas, it has loads of sugar hiding in it. For every half a cup of store bought pasta sauce you’re ingesting 12 grams of sugar.

3. Agave Nectar
Many think of agave nectar as a free pass, since it has been so cleverly marketed as a “health food,” but sadly this sweetener is just as dangerous as white sugar. Agave nectar is 85% fructose.

4. Dried Fruit
Yes, even our fruit isn’t safe anymore. Most companies are adding extra sugar in with their dried fruit, making it as sweet as candy. Just 1/3 of a cup contains 24 grams of sugar.

5. Granola Bars
Granola bars may boast “wholesome, whole grains “on the package, but your it’s hiding a sickly sweet secret. The average packaged granola bar contains 12 grams of sugar.

6. Energy Drinks
When you need an afternoon pick-me-up, think twice before reaching for that energy drink. Mega energy drinks contain up to 83 grams of sugar.

7. BBQ Sauce
There’s a reason that those BBQ chicken wings are finger licking good…all that sugar it’s hiding. A 2 Tablespoon serving will set you back 13 grams of sugar. Start eliminating the sugar-packed foods in your diet today. Your body and your heart will both be in better shape for it.

And let’s not forget the critical role that a challenging, consistent exercise program has in your quest for good health and a fit physique. My programs are specially designed to blast fat and to build muscle in all the right places.  Email me at [email protected] to get started on a fat loss program that really works.  Here’s to good health!

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Super Savory High Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Happy first day of Fall (it’s official)!  During the Autumn season I make a valiant attempt at stepping up my “cooking game.”  The timing of this blog post is perfect because I have to teach a cooking class on Thursday night.  I’m an active member of the Junior League of Dallas (JLD) and for the past 2 years I’ve volunteered at a transitional living center for young women called Our Friends Place (OFP).  Every Thursday night my JLD team and I attend “group night” at OFP during which we host cooking and life skills classes.  This Thursday is my turn to teach cooking, so I practiced making my dish on Sunday night with my sister.  It turned out GREAT so I wanted to share the recipe with you guys.  Chicken enchiladas are nutritious because they are high in protein and very filling.  To make a lower calorie version, use reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat shredded cheese.  Hope you like!  Lots of love, Brit

Ingredients for Brit’s Super Savory Tex-Mex Chicken Enchiladas. I bought everything for under $30

Ingredients

  • 1 whole, cooked rotisserie chicken
  • 1 can of Hatch Fire-Roasted Tomato Enchilada Sauce (Regular)
  • 1 can of Hatch Fire-Roasted Tomato Enchilada Sauce (Tex-Mex style)
  • 1/2 onion (diced)
  • 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 container of Chipotle flavored Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 1 bag of corn or flour tortillas (if you use corn this is a gluten free dish)
  • 1 bag of shredded cheese (Mexican style)

Instructions (5 Simple Steps)

  1. Shred the meat off of the rotisserie chicken and mix in a large bowl with diced onion, 1/4 bag of cheese and 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes
  2. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese onto the tortilla, fill it will chicken mixture and roll it up
  3. Line pan with the Regular enchilada sauce then lay the enchilada rolls close together
  4. Cover the enchilada rolls with Tex-Mex (thicker) enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese
  5. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes
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