There Are So Many Hidden Names for Added Sugar (2024)

FAQs

There Are So Many Hidden Names for Added Sugar? ›

Sugar is found naturally in many nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables. But, you have to be a bit more savvy with locating foods that contain added sugar. There are more than 60 names for added sugar. To identify added sugars, look at the ingredients list.

Sugar is found naturally in many nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables. But, you have to be a bit more savvy with locating foods that contain added sugar. There are more than 60 names for added sugar. To identify added sugars, look at the ingredients list.

Sugar goes by a slew of different names, making it easy for manufacturers to hide how much sugar is truly in a given product. While some of these names are more obvious, like brown and cane sugar, others are trickier to spot (e.g., maltodextrin and dextrose).

To make their products appear healthier, some use smaller amounts of three or four types of sugar in a single product. These sugars then appear further down on the ingredients list, making a product look low in sugar — when sugar is one of its main ingredients.

Sugar was first produced from sugarcane plants in India sometime after the first century AD. The derivation of the word "sugar" is thought to be from Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā), meaning "ground or candied sugar," originally "grit, gravel".

The food labeling regulations from the FDA allow for a 20% margin of error. For anything that says there is a certain amount of carbs, calories, or sugars in it, there could be up to 20% more. Also, some items, such as "artificial flavors" are not included in calculations for the total percentages listed on the label.

Why not ban sugar? ›

Bans and restrictive diets damage our relationship with food

And the same goes for sugar. Banning food groups not only leads to a fixation with these foods, it also teaches us to ignore the signals our bodies are sending us as we instead put our trust in the latest diet.

Taste: Sweetness improves the palatability of many foods.

In addition, sugar plays an important role in contributing to the flavor profile of foods by interacting with other ingredients to enhance or lessen certain flavors.

Artificial Sweeteners. The absolute worst sweeteners are artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, saccharin, and aspartame. These are the worst sugar substitutes because these sweeteners are manufactured in a lab, meaning they're not found in nature.

Some common examples include sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrup. Even the more “natural” sweeteners, such as maple syrup, agave nectar, and honey, are still considered added sugars.

Saccharin banned as sugar substitute

But in 1977, tests showed saccharin was associated with cancer of the bladder in lab rats. In March of that year, the CBC's John Blackstone reported that the Canadian government was banning soft drinks with saccharin as of July 1, 1977.

Glycation is a natural phenomenon and to a certain extent unavoidable – even with normal levels of glucose the process can occur. However, high-sugar diets can speed up the formation of AGEs, and sugar found in high glycemic index (GI) foods are especially impactful.

When asked does sugar age you, Dr. Nish says the short answer is yes. Sugar ages us in many ways, both internally and externally, including our skin.

Organic cane sugar: This sugar is made from sugar cane, a plant whose juice is made into sugar. It's unprocessed and unrefined, and it's a better alternative to white sugar because it doesn't have the pesticides and chemicals found in traditional table sugar.

Oatmeal is a source of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are converted into sugar when digested and increase sugar levels in the blood stream.

What are the dangers of hidden sugars? ›

In conclusion, hidden sugars in foods may pose a major health risk for some individuals. Studies continue to demonstrate that the hidden sugars in our foods are responsible for the increase in obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and poor oral health related to tooth decay.

The fruits with the highest sugar content include mangoes, pomegranates, oranges, and pears. If someone has diabetes, they can still have these fruits, but they may wish to ask their doctor if they should eat them in smaller portions.

Moreover, processed, high fructose corn syrup may be the worst type of sugar a person can consume. Some medical experts relate sugar to cocaine in the way it has addictive effects on the brain in humans and in animals and this notion is supported by research.

Though widely available throughout the world, in 1991 stevia was banned in the U.S. due to early studies that suggested the sweetener may cause cancer.

Xylitol looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, and responds like sugar in baking. Among the sugar substitutes, xylitol is my favorite. Though it was not as sweet as the cake sweetened with sugar, the xylitol cake's texture was tender and cake-like and the flavor was pure.

Maple syrup is a healthier alternative to sugar and has many benefits. It's less processed than regular table sugars and therefore contains more nutrients like vitamins, minerals & antioxidants which help improve your health.

In the West, honey was the prime sweetener before the introduction of sugar. But even when Europeans gained access to sugar in the High Middle Ages, it was reserved for the wealthy.

The conditions for enslaved people on sugar plantations in the Caribbean were especially brutal. Driven by profits, plantations owners saw enslaved labor as a less expensive way to produce sugar.

It is widely believed that cane sugar was first used by man in Polynesia from where it spread to India. In 510 BC the Emporer Darius of Persia invaded India where he found “the reed which gives honey without bees”. The secret of cane sugar was kept a closely guarded secret whilst the finished product was exported.

Consuming too much added sugar can contribute to: obesity — high sugar consumption is linked to weight gain and obesity. heart disease — consuming too much added sugar has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

What is the sugar rule? ›

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, people older than 2 years should keep sugars to less than 10% of their total daily calories [30.6MB]. For example, if an adult consumes 2,000 calories a day, no more than 200 calories should come from added sugars.

But the food industry has found another way to give consumers their sweet fix. It is quietly replacing the sugar in many packaged foods with sucralose, stevia, allulose, erythritol and a wide variety of other artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes.

These celebrities thought so, too. From wanting to feel fitter and more energetic to dodging diabetes, adult acne and cellulite, they reveal what prompted them to ditch sugar from their diet and embrace the latest Hollywood wellness trend.

With corn subsidized by the government, its sugary syrup became a more affordable option for the beverage company.” So: corn subsidies begat cheap corn, which in turn lead to a corn-derived sweetener cheaper than sugar. Voila: HFCS takes over the soda market.

Americans are eating and drinking too many added sugars, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. To live healthier, longer lives, most Americans need to move more and eat better, including consuming fewer added sugars.

Unlike most other producing countries, the United States has both large and well-developed sugarcane and sugarbeet industries. Since the mid-2000s, sugarcane has accounted for between 40 and 45 percent of the total sugar produced domestically, and sugarbeets accounted for between 55 and 60 percent of production.

While both Coca-Cola Zero and Diet co*ke contain the same sweeteners (a blend of aspartame and acesulfame-potassium or Ace-K) and contain zero calories, Coca-Cola Zero uses a different flavour base and delivers the great taste of Coca-Cola with zero sugar.

Sweeteners like fruit juice, honey, molasses and maple syrup contain natural sugar and have some nutritional benefits. Fruit has fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Even raw honey and maple syrup can contain antioxidants and minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium.

So, for most people, natural sugars are a far better alternative to either artificial sweeteners or regular table sugar. For people living with diabetes or prediabetes, though, you still need to go easy on some natural sugars.

Is there sugar in everything you eat? ›

Sugar is in almost everything we eat and drink. It occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables, and it's often added to beverages and foods as a flavor enhancer. It should come as no surprise that high-sugar diets are dangerous.

Moreover, some foods are completely sugar free. These include: Proteins: seafood, pork, beef, chicken, lentils, beans, soybeans. Fats: butter, nuts, seeds.

Aspartame Aspartame (also known as Equal) is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, adding sweetness to diet sodas, desserts, cereals, and many other foods and beverages.

Oatmeal is a type of whole grain that is high in fiber and even contains some antioxidants. However, many varieties of instant oatmeal contain added sugar, especially if they are flavored. Brands like Quaker Instant Oatmeal can have anywhere from 12-15 grams of added sugars per packet.

Common artificial sweeteners include: Aspartame. Sucralose.

Many people experience fatigue, headaches, or even a feeling of sadness or depression, he added, aka tell-tale signs that your body is adjusting to the now low levels of glucose, dopamine, and serotonin. "After a week or so, your energy will begin to improve, and you will feel more alive and less irritable."

Among rare sugars, allulose stands out. It is a low-calorie sweetening and offers the taste and texture of sugar without all the calories. Allulose can be naturally found in figs, raisins, molasses, maple syrup and can be produced from various sources of carbohydrates (corn, beet and sugar cane).

Talking about sugar being good for health, then natural sugar or stevia is the best. They have many health benefits to offer apart from weight loss. It has all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for your body. While stevia is also known to be the best sugar for weight loss.

What are the 56 types of sugar? ›

Conventional table sugar is pure sucrose, made from either sugar cane or sugar beet. Although sucrose is commonly known as 'sugar', the term 'sugars' refers to all mono and disaccharides such as fructose, lactose and glucose, that can be naturally occurring in foods or added.

Sanding sugar is a large crystal sugar that's great for decorating because it won't dissolve with heat. It also creates a sparkly effect because of the large size of the crystals that reflect light. It's great for decorating treats like cookies, cakes, scones, muffins, and even candies.

But this sweet nectar doesn't come cheap. In Colombia, depending on where it is made, panela can cost up to 17,000 pesos per kilogram. In the US, it can cost 20 times more than white sugar. So, how is wild panela made?

Coarse Sugar

Sometimes called decorating sugar or pearl sugar, coarse sugar is a type of white sugar that's much larger than granulated sugar, which makes it more resistant to heat. It's sometimes used interchangeably with sanding sugar, but the two aren't the same.