The Hidden “Natural” Sugar in Your Food

A list of ingredients is often full of long, complicated words when all you really want to know is: “How much sugar is in this?”

We live in an age where consumers are trying to become more health conscious. It is important to control what we eat, including the amount of items like salt and sugar. This means that we habitually read the ingredients of different types of food, but then again, there is always that one new product, which looks extremely seductive with the phrase printed across the front, “No added sugar.” What’s the gimmick?

This is a great marketing gimmick, since what most people don’t realise is that this refers to the amount of sugar added (or not) during production. It does not actually mean that there is no sugar in this particular product, which is where all the confusion comes in with products like kids’ juice boxes. While there might not be any added sugar, the natural sugar content of fruit is very high, so these juice boxes that are “100% fruit” are actually filled with natural sugars.

Of course natural sugars are fine, but everything in moderation. If you are trying to control the amount of sugar in your diet, or your childrens’ diet, you need to be aware of the various forms sugar comes in. The best thing to do is keep your eye out for words ending in “ose.” (And like food author Michael Pollan says: if you can’t pronounce it, probably better to skip it.)

Sweet as honey

Honey is one of the natural sweeteners we love, especially in honey cake around Jewish New Year. On the other hand, delicious though it may be, you need to make sure you don’t eat too much, since a spoon of honey actually has a higher calorie count than sugar.
It’s easy to get carried away with a spoonful of sugar, but try not to  let the sugar content of your food overflow.

It all comes down to sugar being a simple form of carbohydrate that your body uses to produce energy in the cells. When you eat these simple forms of carbohydrate, it is burned as energy quickly, whereas if you eat a more complex form of carbohydrate, such as starch, your body has to break it down into sugars before it can use it.

All these different forms of sugar impact your blood sugar levels, which is why it is so important for diabetics to be aware of the sugar content (both simple and complex) in their food. If you have a family history of diabetes then you should also be careful since you are more prone to developing it.

At the end of the day, whether you are diabetic or not, it is important to be aware of the sugar content you are absorbing in your daily diet. Just remember than not all sugars are spelt s-u-g-a-r so read the ingredients carefully, and don’t be fooled by the sly “No added sugar” label.

What are some alternative names for sugar? On the diet blog they list 25 other names:

Brown sugar

Corn syrup

Demerara Sugar

Dextrose

Free Flowing Brown Sugars

Fructose

Galactose

Glucose

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Honey

Invert Sugar

Lactose

Malt

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Maple syrup

Molasses

Muscovado or Barbados Sugar

Panocha

Powdered or confectioner’s sugar

Rice Syrup

Sucrose

Sugar (granulated)

Treacle

Turbinado sugar

Make note and remember you can still enjoy your favorite sweets this holiday with no guilt if you eat in moderation.

First image via Arenamontanus, and Second image via kaibara87

More ingredients to be aware of:
The Toxic Touch of Beauty Products – 7 Chemicals to Avoid
3 Good and 3 Bad Sunscreen Tips for a Healthy Summer
Sage Advice on Natural Deodorants (7 Tips)

Author: Naomi Ben-David

Naomi interned at Green Prophet during the summer of 2010. She grew up in Australia with a chiropractor mom who introduced her to various forms of alternative medicine. Her mother was forever pointing out the healthy food choices in the supermarket, or attempted to make it from scratch at home in order to avoid the preservatives and additives in the food. Naomi’s mother’s influence has stayed with her, impacting the food and medical choices she makes to this day. She is currently pursuing a career in writing.

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