Low-fat lies: 9  so-called healthy foods secretly packed with sugar

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Multigrain trap

Switching to “healthy” bread? Many multigrain loaves still use refined flour and hidden sugars, making them a sneaky source of blood sugar spikes.

Nut butter twist

Your “natural” peanut butter might have molasses or corn syrup hiding inside. Low-fat versions? Even worse. Always check the label.

Yogurt shocker

A 150g tub of flavoured yogurt can contain up to 25g of sugar—more than some desserts. Low-fat doesn’t mean low sugar.

Energy bar scam

That “clean” protein bar? It could pack 15–25g of sugar disguised as honey, rice syrup, or dates. Healthy branding, sneaky sweeteners.

Smoothie overload

Blended fruit or bottled juice—even with “no added sugar”—lacks fibre and spikes blood sugar faster than whole fruits.

Carb disguise

Watch out for names like maltodextrin, brown rice syrup, and agave nectar. These are just sugars in disguise on your “healthy” snacks.

Label lies

Brands often split sugars into different names so they don’t appear first on the ingredients list. The trick? Always check total carbs and sugar grams.

Portion danger

Even good carbs like brown rice or dal can mess with blood sugar when eaten in excess. It’s not just what you eat—it’s how much.

Smart swaps

Use the “under 5g sugar per serving” rule for packaged foods. And space out your magnesium, calcium, and zinc supplements to avoid absorption conflicts.