Food Villains #30: Canned Fruit

This new series of posts will take a look at some of the worst foods we eat on a regular basis. It's a "Most Wanted" for your pantry! First up, canned fruit… Who doesn't love canned fruit? Canned peaches are my personal favorite, but fruit cocktail makes for a perfect sangria. Throw some of these fruits into a cup of yoghurt, and you have instant parfait. All in all, the sweet little fruits are darn tasty. Then you read the label on your average can of fruit, and there's that "cringe" moment when you realize just what you've been putting into your body. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Source: recipe-finder.com[/caption] For example, in a single serving of Del Monte Peach Chunks, you get:

• 23 grams of sugar
• 100 calories

Fruit already has sugar, but for some reason manufacturers feel the need to can them in high fructose corn syrup as well. The thick HFCS soaks into the fruit, so even when you drain the liquid there's still a lot more sugar in the fruit. It's no longer fruit, but it's essentially fruit-flavored sugar chunks. My choice: fresh fruit wins the day every time! (But, if you don't have the time to peel and chop your own, go for frozen fruit rather than canned.)  

Featured Image Source: tlaststand.wikia.com

Resources: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/30-worst-foods-america