When you are trying to make healthy diet changes, there are plenty of different ways you can approach it, however, I think most experts would agree that removing added sugar is one of the best changes you can make. Although it might seem simple to remove all added sugar, manufacturers have become very sneaky with the ways they add sugar into our food and all of the secret code words for sugar that they use
Most people are smart enough to know that added sugar is found and cookies, cakes, and pastries, but it is often all of the other sneaky places where food manufacturers include sugar that tends to fool us. Nowadays, everything from salad dressing to breakfast sausages to protein powder and cans of tuna contains added sugar, so if you aren’t reading closely this added sugar can easily slip by.
Although there are many ways to read a nutrition label, the only way to decipher if the sugar in that particular product is naturally occurring or added is to read the ingredients list. Although the nutrition panel will always list the number of sugars included in a product, if you don’t read the ingredients list (at this time) you will not be able to determine if they are natural or added. For instance, plain yogurt might contain 7 grams of sugar, while flavored yogurts may contain up to 20 grams of sugar, so without reading the ingredients list and looking for those code words for sugar, it will be difficult to determine where those sugars are actually coming from.
Names for Sugar
So here is a list of some of the most common types of added sugar and a list of the common code words for sugar so you know exactly what to look for on the ingredients list.
1. Words ending in -OSE
Essentially any word ending in –ose is a code word for sugar. Glucose is the most basic form of sugar, and the one our body utilizes for energy. Glucose, along with fructose and lactose, found in fruit and dairy, are naturally occurring sugars that are found in whole foods but can also be isolated and used as added sugars in products. Fructose, when found in fruit, is paired with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which is processed very differently by the body than when it is found in its isolated form. It not only provides added nutrition but the addition of fiber help to slow digestion and limit spikes in blood sugar.
In addition to these basic forms of sugars, –ose ending sweeteners will also include sucrose, dextrose, and maltose which are all also code words for sugar.
2. Sugar
Often called “table sugar”, sugar is a form of sucrose is found in some plants and usually extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets. Sucrose is made of 50% glucose and 50% fructose and is mostly found in processed foods and sweet treats. In addition to sugar cane and sugar beets, you can also create sugar from items such as coconut, dates, maple, etc… Here is a list of the most common forms of crystallized sugar.
- Beet Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Cane Sugar
- Castor Sugar
- Coconut Sugar
- Date Sugar
- Demerara Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Grape Sugar
- Icing Sugar
- Invert Sugar
- Maple Sugar
- Muscovado Sugar
- Palm Sugar
- Panela Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Raw Sugar
- Refiner’s Sugar
- Table Sugar
- Turbinado Sugar
- Yellow Sugar
3. Syrup
In addition to crystallized sugar, sugar is often processed into syrup for easy inclusion in liquids and is a cheap ingredient to add to processed food. High-fructose corn syrup is made from processed cornstarch and is probably the most popular form of syrup-based sugar, however, there are many other forms of syrup sweeteners as well.
- Brown Rice Syrup
- Buttered Syrup
- Carob Syrup
- Corn Syrup
- Golden Syrup
- Malt Syrup
- Refiner’s Syrup
- Rice Syrup
- Sorghum Syrup
4. Other Code Words for Sugar
Further to crystallized sugar and syrup-based sugars, there are many other forms of sweeteners, including alcohol-based sugars (any word ending in –ol) and various nectars and juices from plants. Here are some of the more common code words for sugar from these sources.
- Agave
- Caramel
- Cane Juice
- Coconut Nectar
- Corn Syrup Solids
- Dextrin
- Evaporated Cane Juice
- Ethyl Maltol
- Florida Crystals
- Fruit Juice Concentrate
- Maltodextrin
- Malitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
- Sucanat
- Treacle
- Xylitol
5. Natural Sweeteners
In addition to these refined forms of sugar, you can find added sugars in the form of more natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, molasses, and dried fruit. Albeit these can still be forms of added sugars in processed food, when chosen properly these forms of sweetener can, in fact, provide some nutritional value. Just be sure to look for the best natural sweeteners available on the market.
The Bottom Line
Regardless of what you are buying just be sure to read the label and list of ingredients. The more you can bring awareness to the food you are choosing and what they contain, the easier it will be to identify added sugar and make an informed decision about the sweeteners you do choose to include in your diet and how often.
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