Vanilla Honey-Nut Smoothie - For example, a smoothie is a better choice than a soft drink, even though they both contain sugar. Focus on sugar-containing foods that have other nutrients instead of just empty calories. Of course, if you have diabetes or are trying to lose weight, pay attention to any type of extra calories, sugar, and carbohydrate because eating too many sugar-containing foods can wreak havoc with blood sugars and also lead to weight gain.