Sweetly Hidden Truth: 50 names for Sugar you Probably Dont Know

06 June 2016

So you all know now by now that eating sugar is not the best for us right? And you also know to look at ingredients listings to see if there are any added sugars to the products you plan on buying. But do you understand all the names of the ingredients listed? What if I told you that even though you thought you had cut out sugar, you may still be consuming it without even realising?

For starters, let me begin by saying that there are as much as 50 alternative names for the word sugar (perhaps even more that I haven’t accounted for) that are used in the food industry. I am sad to say this, but as a health expert I have to say it how it is – these 50 names are all in aid of avoiding the use of the term “sugar” so that people will still buy these products.

It’s no secret that we are all the more wise on what to eat and what not to eat, which of course impacts the product movement of many of the big brands (who mass produce) – so in response to dwindling sales they have to find legal ways to evade using the term sugar (known by most) without having to actually remove sugar from their product. Why not just remove the sugar you may ask? – because sugar is a fantastic preservative which allows for a very long shelf life, and sugar is also very addictive, making people consumer more and more of that product, because they literally become addicted to it (or rather the sugar it contains). Where there is plenty of money to be made, there are always ethical boundaries to push, and the food industry makes no exception.

The next time you are doing your grocery shopping, keep an eye out for the following terms, if you are looking to cut out all sugar in your diet:

1 – High Fructose Corn Syrup
2 – Sucrose
3 – Glucose
4 – Fructose
5 – Lactose
6 – Maltose
7 – Dextrose
8 – Honey
9 – Corn Syrup
10 – Invert Sugar
11 – Invert Sugar Syrup
12 – Molasses
13 – Brown Sugar

14 – Evaporated Cane Juice
15 – Sugar Cane Crystals
16 – Treacle
17 – Demerara Sugar
18 – Fruit Juice Crystals
19 – Dehydrated Fruit Juice
20 – Corn Sweetener
21 – Fruit Juice Concentrate (any fruit or even sugary vegetables such as beet juice!)
22 – Malt Syrup
23 – Raw Sugar
24 – Turbinado Sugar
25 – Syrup

26 – Muscovado Sugar
27 – Glucose Syrup
28 – Barbados Sugar
29 – Sorghum Syrup
30 -Refiner’s Syrup
31 – Beet Sugar
32 – Carob Syrup
33 – Table Sugar
34 – Malt
35 – Buttered Syrup
36 – Maple Syrup
37 – Rice Syrup
38 – Agave Nectar or Syrup

39 – Powdered Sugar
40 – Confectioner’s Sugar
41 – Corn Syrup Solids
42 – D-Mannose
43 – Sorbose
44 – Galactose
45 – Organic Raw Sugar
46 – Golden Sugar
47 – Date Sugar
48 – Castor Sugar
49 – Golden Syrup
50 – Raisin Syrup

Remember that there are naturally occurring sugars in wholefoods, so this is not so much the problem. The issue is when additional sugars are added that are both highly processed and unnecessary.

So how do I avoid consuming added sugars?

Best thing is to ensure that most of the foods you consume are wholefoods – in other words they are in their original state, are not packaged or processed in any way and are as close to their source as possible. Foods such as vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh herbs, raw nuts and seeds, legumes, lean proteins and eggs.

There are however some packaged foods that are still decent choices which you can still include in your diet. Just be sure to check the following:

Product Packaging:

The first thing we tend to look at when buying foods is what it says on the front. This is where all the gliss and gloss is used to capture our attention. Remember though, that marketing companies love appealing to consumers by putting bold words on the front of packaging such as “high in protein“, “rich in vitamins and minerals“, “fat free“, “gluten free“, and so on. Most of the time this doesn’t actually mean much at all and is simply a marketing effort to sell more products. So yes your product is high in protein, but you have added copious amounts of sugar too – um no thanks!

Nutrition Facts Label:

Careful with these, as they also don’t tell you as much as you need to know. Nutrition facts indicate the number of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and other possible stats such as sodium and cholesterol. This is great for someone trying to eat a low-carb diet, get extra protein, watch their salt intake, and so on, but even then it isn’t always very reliable. These days there are things like zero-calorie sweeteners which are effectively types of sugars that can still wreak havoc on your body but will not get included in the carbohydrate or calorie count on the label. It’s very easy to think you are buying something healthy based on the nutrition facts label even if you aren’t.

Ingredients List:

This is the secret weapon. By law, the ingredients of a product have to be stated – something that food companies cannot get around, because the fines applicable for non-compliance are huge. So the best thing for you to do is to look beyond the marketing buzzwords and macronutrient/calorie nutrition label, and examine the list of ingredients closely. This will tell you what you are really putting into your body. If you buy a box of orange juice from the shops and the only ingredients is freshly squeezed oranges then that is great, but if it’s a list of 10-15 different ingredients then something is definitely up.

It’s worth knowing that ingredients are listed in decreasing order of their weight within the food. So ingredients at the beginning of the list are typically the largest quantity.

Remember everything in moderation – I am not saying you can’t enjoy packaged foods every now and again, just be sure you are making the smartest choice with your selections. Ignorance is bliss, until your health is on the line – the more clued up you are about your nutrition the better off you are in the long run – after all, without out health, we have nothing.

Yours in Health Always,

Cara-Lisa

xoxo

@caralishious