(NaturalNews) The word Twinkie is clearly synonymous with unhealthy. As such, health-minded people consider yogurt to be a significantly better choice than the aforementioned processed snack. However, many experts have put this notion to rest, demonstrating that certain yogurts actually have more sugar than a Twinkie (1). Yikes.

According to the American Heart Association, women should have no more than 20 grams of sugar daily, and men's consumption should not exceed 36 grams (1). With 19 grams of sugar, one Twinkie has close to the entire recommended sugar intake for women. Surprisingly though, the strawberry-flavored original Yoplait yogurt, despite the fact that it's virtually fat-free, is loaded with 26 grams of sugar. Even options that carry a healthy organic label, such as Stonyfield's vanilla-flavored yogurt, have 29 grams of sugar per container.

Top five yogurts brimming with high sugar content

Here's a breakdown of the list of yogurts that despite (in some cases) carrying organic or fat-free labels, are brimming with sugar and proving that one healthy-sounding option doesn't automatically mean that an item is void of other, less healthy ingredients.

Stonyfield Smooth & Creamy Lowfat French Vanilla (organic): 29 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving.

Brown Cow's nonfat vanilla: 25 grams of sugar per 6-ounce container.

Activia blueberry flavor: 19 grams of sugar per 4.4-ounce serving.

Dannon Fruit on the Bottom: 24 grams of sugar per 6-ounce serving.

Strawberry-flavored original Yoplait yogurt: 26 grams of sugar per 6-ounce container.

The dangers of eating too much sugar

It's no secret that obesity is a growing epidemic, and having excess sugar is just one contributing factor. However, consuming too much sugar can lead to other health problems, including increased diabetes risk and elevated blood pressure, and can even play a role in liver failure (2). Furthermore, sayings about sugar being addictive are steeped in truth.

Studies have shown that eating sugar creates neurochemical changes of dopamine in the brain, changes that similarly occur by taking dangerous drugs such as cocaine or heroin (3). Just like with these drugs, people who stop their intake of sugar also experience much of what a drug addict does, ranging from the constant need to feel "up" to severe lows when they are without it.

Therefore, it's important to remain mindful of the amount and types of sugars being ingested and to carefully read labels to ensure that its ingredients best meet specific health needs and dietary lifestyles. The Huffington Post reported, "In original yogurt, it's common to see anywhere between 12 and 15 grams of natural sugar, according to Heather Bauer, R.D., CDN." (1) Bauer says it's best to choose Greek yogurt, because it typically has just 6 grams of sugar in plain flavors.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com

(2) http://www.businessinsider.com

(3) http://www.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. >>> Click here to see more by Antonia