“No-added sugar” or “Low-added sugar” diets are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason. A 2014 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed added dietary sugar increases risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States. Refined sucrose also weakens hormonal responses, overworks the pancreas and disrupts blood sugar balance. Most people can conceptualize the physiological effects of enjoying a large piece of cake. They feel immediately good, experiencing a ‘sugar high’, but 30 minutes later, feel a subsequent ‘sugar crash’ with accompanying low energy levels and mood swings. Why do manufacturers add sugar to so many products? Easy. It increases taste and [temporarily] awakens the senses!
When looking at a Nutrition Facts Label, you’ll see a section below for “Ingredients”. In this area, you may find over 50 names of sugar. Some are tricky to spot as they don’t say “sugar” in the description. Common foods with hidden added sugars include cereal, granola, frozen meals, yogurt, fruit juice, nut butter, and canned fruit.
Names for Added Sugars
- Agave nectar
- Barbados sugar
- Barley malt
- Barley malt syrup
- Beet sugar
- Brown sugar
- Buttered syrup
- Cane juice
- Cane juice crystals
- Cane sugar
- Caramel
- Carob syrup
- Castor sugar
- Coconut palm sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Corn sweetener
- Corn syrup
- Corn syrup solids
- Date sugar
- Dehydrated cane juice
- Demerara sugar
- Dextrin
- Dextrose
- Evaporated cane juice
- Free-flowing brown sugars
- Fructose
- Fruit juice
- Fruit juice concentrate
- Glucose
- Glucose solids
- Golden sugar
- Golden syrup
- Grape sugar
- HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)
- Honey
- Icing sugar
- Invert sugar
- Malt syrup
- Maltodextrin
- Maltol
- Maltose
- Mannose
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Muscovado
- Palm sugar
- Panocha
- Powdered sugar
- Raw sugar
- Refiner’s syrup
- Rice syrup
- Saccharose
- Sorghum Syrup
- Sucrose
- Sugar (granulated)
- Sweet Sorghum
- Syrup
- Treacle
- Turbinado sugar
- Yellow sugar
For optimal heart health, try to limit added sugars as much as possible. If you include sugar in your diet, include it in the form of whole fruit, which includes fiber and provides vitamin and mineral co-factors for digestion. Choosing fruit over candy will be satiating and provide nutrients (as sugar has zero nutrients!).
Originally posted 2018-05-10 16:47:48.
