And that one ingredient is added sugar.

I make every effort to eat whole, unprocessed foods that are natural, organic, and (whenever possible) local.  That means cooking dinner every night, even if it is nothing but a quick, 15-minute vegetable soup (onions, carrots, kale, and garbanzo beans) or scrambled eggs with steamed broccoli & brussels sprouts.  After all, Michael Pollan is one of my favorite authors…

Of course, for most of us working parents /adults living in a big city it is practically impossible to use only whole foods we buy at the farmer’s market – an 8:30 – 6:30 daily office schedule makes that a “nonstarter.”  Thus, we reach into our cabinets and take out a box of organic whole wheat pasta for dinner or a natural cereal bar for an afternoon pick-me-up. Naturally derived or organic, without hydrogenated oils or BHT, but still processed.

Reading ingredient lists and labels as much as I do, I am increasingly worried about the amount of added sugar in these natural / organic processed foods.  Recent reports and studies are adding to this momentum.

Now, take a look at some of the containers and boxes in your cabinet, fridge, or freezer.  Look at both the nutrition panel (by gram) and the ingredient list (by rank) as naturally occurring sugar and added sugar are lumped together in the nutrition panels.  (Changing that would be great, wouldn’t it)?

Garbanzo beans from Eden Foods- no problem.  Beans, water, and seaweed in a BPA-free metal container. All carbohydrates are naturally occurring in beans.

Plain Greek Yogurt from Wallaby – no issues.  Organic cultured pasteurized milk in a BPA-free plastic cup. All 7 grams of carbohydrates are naturally occurring in milk.

Cascadian Farm’s Purely O’s – a good choice.  All 23 grams of carbohydrates, including 1 single gram of sugar, are naturally occurring in organic whole grain oats, whole grain barley and other organic ingredients.  NO added sugar.

Frozen cherries from Whole Foods’ 365 house brand – only organic frozen fruit – no preservatives or additives. Only naturally occurring sugar in fruit.

Stonyfield Yobaby Meals 3 in 1 – 15 grams of carbohydrates, including 14 grams of sugars, in a 113 gram serving size. Added sugar is only 3rd on the list, preceded by organic milk and fruit and vegetable purees.

Now, dig deeper into that cabinet or fridge.

Kashi’s GoLean Crisp Cinnamon Crumble – 34 grams of carbohydrates, including 10 grams of sugars, in a 51 gram serving size.  Cane Juice Crystals is the second ingredient.

Cascadian Farm’s Fruitful O’s – 23 grams of carbohydrates, including 8 grams of sugars, in a 28 g serving size. Cane sugar is the second ingredient listed.

Nature’s Path Berry Strawberry Flax Plus Chewy Granola Bar - 25 grams of carbohydrates, including 11 grams of sugars, in a 35 gram bar.  Cane juice is part of the first ingredient (granola), and invert cane sugar is fourth.

I LOVE what Kashi, Cascadian Farm, Stonyfield and other organic and natural food producers have done – eliminating GMO ingredients, using rBST-free milk, taking out all artificial colors and preservatives, and using eco-friendly packaging.  All fantastic choices that help us live greener and healthier in our fast-paced, nature-unfriendly world.

But, when it comes to certain processed foods, I think it is time to reduce the amount of added sugar.

Kashi, Cascadian Farm, Nature’s Path and others out there – can you help?