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By Helen West, RD
Eating a lot of added sugar is bad for your health.
It has been badociated with diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease (1, 2, 3, 4).
In addition, research shows that many people consume too much added sugar. In fact, the average American consumes about 15 teaspoons (60 grams) of added sugar a day (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
However, most people do not put a lot of sugar on their food.
Much of your daily sugar consumption is hidden in a variety of packaged and processed foods, many of which are marketed as healthy.
Here are 8 ways that food companies hide the sugar content of food.
1. Call Sugar by a different name
Sugar is the general name given to short-chain carbohydrates that give your food a sweet taste. However, sugar has many different forms and names.
You can recognize some of these names, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Others are more difficult to identify.
Because food companies often use sugars with unusual names, it can be difficult to find this ingredient on labels.
Dry sugar
To prevent you from consuming too much sugar by mistake, look for added sugars on food labels:
- Barley malt
- Sugar beet
- brown sugar
- Buttered sugar
- Cane juice crystals
- Cane sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Coconut sugar
- Corn sweetener
- Crystalline fructose
- Date sugar
- Dextran, malt powder
- Ethyl maltol
- Concentrated fruit juice
- Golden sugar
- Inverted sugar
- maltodextrin
- Maltose
- Muscovado sugar
- panela
- palm sugar
- Organic raw sugar
- Sugar Rapadura
- Evaporated cane juice
- Granulated sugar
syrups
Sugar is also added to foods as syrup. Syrups are usually thick liquids made from large amounts of sugar dissolved in water.
They are found in a wide variety of foods, but most often in cold drinks or other liquids.
Common syrups to monitor on food labels include:
summary
Sugar has many names and shapes, which can make it difficult to spot food labels. Be careful with syrups too.
2. Using many types of sugar
The ingredients are listed according to the weight of the packaged foods, with the main ingredients listed first. The more items there are, the more it appears at the top of the list.
Food manufacturers often take advantage of it. To make their products look healthier, some people use smaller amounts of three or four types of sugar in one product.
These sugars then appear lower in the list of ingredients, giving a product a low-sugar appearance – when sugar is one of its main ingredients.
For example, some protein bars – although considered healthy – contain a lot of added sugar. There may be up to 7.5 teaspoons of added sugar in a bar.
When reading food labels, look for different types of sugar.
summary
Food companies can use three or four different types of sugar in a single product, which makes it seem less rich in sugar than it is.
3. Add sugar to foods you least expect
It makes sense that a piece of cake or a chocolate bar probably contains a lot of sugar.
Nevertheless, some food manufacturers pour sugar into foods that are not always considered sweet. Examples include breakfast cereals, spaghetti sauce and yogurt.
Some cups of yogurt can contain up to 6 teaspoons (29 grams) of sugar.
Even whole grain bars, which may seem like a healthy choice, can hold up to 4 teaspoons (16 grams) of sugar.
As many people do not realize that these foods contain added sugar, they do not know how much they consume.
If you are buying packaged or processed foods, be sure to read the label and check the sugar content – even if you think the food is healthy.
summary
Sugar is hidden in many foods – even those that do not have a sweet taste. Be sure to check the labels of packaged or processed foods.
4. Use "healthy" sugars instead of sucrose
Food companies also give the impression that some of their products are harmless by exchanging sugar for another sweetener considered to be healthy.
These unrefined sweeteners are usually made from sap, fruit, flowers or plant seeds. The agave nectar is an example.
Products containing these sweeteners often carry labels such as "does not contain refined sugar" or "no refined sugar". It simply means that they do not contain white sugar.
These sugars may seem healthier because some may have a slightly lower glycemic index (GI) than regular sugar and provide some nutrients.
However, the amount of nutrients brought by these sugars is generally very low. In addition, unrefined sugar is always added to sugar.
At the present time, nothing indicates that it is beneficial to exchange one form of sugar for another, especially if you always eat too much.
Common sweeteners high in sugar and often labeled as healthy include:
- Agave syrup
- Birch syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Honey
- maple syrup
- Raw sugar
- Cane sugar
- Sugar beet syrup
If you see these sweeteners on a food label, remember that they are always sugar and that it's best to consume them sparingly.
summary
Food manufacturers sometimes replace white table sugar with unrefined products. Although this may give the product a healthier appearance, unrefined sugar remains sugar.
5. Combination of added sugars with natural sugars on the list of ingredients
Some foods, such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products, contain natural sugars. Unlike added sugars, they are not usually a health concern.
Indeed, natural sugars are generally difficult to eat in large quantities.
Although some fruits contain large amounts of natural sugar, their fiber and antioxidant content mitigates the rise in blood sugar levels. Fiber in fruits and vegetables is also very nutritious, making these foods more difficult to overeat.
In addition, whole foods provide many beneficial nutrients that can reduce your risk of disease.
For example, one cup (240 ml) of milk contains 3 teaspoons (13 grams) of sugar. Yet you also get 8 grams of protein and about 25% of your daily needs for calcium and vitamin D (11).
An identical serving of Coca-Cola contains almost twice the amount of sugar and no other nutrients (12).
Do not forget that food labels do not distinguish between natural sugars and added sugars. Instead, they list all the sugars in one quantity.
It is therefore difficult to identify how much sugar is naturally found in your food and how much is added to it.
However, if you consume mostly whole and unprocessed foods, as opposed to packaged or processed products, most of the sugars you consume will be natural.
summary
Food labels often include naturally added sugar and natural sugar in a total amount. Thus, it can be difficult to determine the amount of sugar added to certain products.
6. Add a health claim to the products
It is not always easy to know which products on the market are healthy and which ones are not.
Manufacturers often coat their packaging with health claims, which gives the impression that some items are healthy when they contain a lot of added sugar.
The most common examples include labels such as "natural", "healthy", "low fat", "diet" and "light". Although these products may be low in fat and calories, they often contain added sugar.
Do your best to ignore these claims and read the etiquette carefully.
summary
Products containing health claims, such as "diet", "natural" or "low fat", may still contain sugar.
7. Reduce the size of the portion
The food industry regularly reduces the size of the serving size to distort your perception of the amount of sugar you consume.
In other words, a single product, such as a mini pizza or a bottle of soda, can be composed of several portions.
Although the amount of sugar in each of these portions may be small, you will usually eat two or three times that amount at one time.
To avoid this trap, carefully consider the number of servings per container.
If a small food contains several servings, you may consume more sugar than expected.
summary
Food companies often reduce portion sizes to make products appear less rich in sugar.
8. Make sweet versions of a low-sugar brand
You may know that some of your favorite food brands are low in sugar.
However, manufacturers sometimes rely on an established brand by releasing a new version that contains a lot more sugar.
This practice is quite common with breakfast cereals. For example, a low-sugar whole grain cereal may appear in a new package with added flavors or different ingredients.
This can be confusing in thinking that the new version is as healthy as its usual choice.
If you have noticed different packaging for some of your frequent purchases, check the labels carefully.
summary
Low-sugar brands can still produce high-sugar products, potentially attracting repeat customers who might not realize that the new version is not as healthy as the original version.
The final result
The added sugar can be difficult to spot.
The easiest way to avoid the addition of sugar is to avoid highly processed products, choosing instead whole foods unprocessed.
If you buy packaged items, be sure to learn how to spot the added sugar on the food labels.
Republished with the permission of our Healthline Media Associate.
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