Sugar, where are you Hiding?

Not all sugars are created equal. Learn the difference between natural and added sugars, and learn how to avoid them.

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By the year 2020, a new regulation by the Food and Drug Administration will require that nutrition information on all packaged foods include a section that specifies added sugars, making it much easier for people to see exactly what they’re eating.
 
“Added sugars, in grams and as percent Daily Value, will be included on the label,” says the FDA.
 
Until then, it’s up to you to learn how to find the added sugar content. We’re here to help. The first thing to know is that there are two types of sugars: natural and added. Natural sugars can be found mainly in fruit and dairy products. Anything else most likely has sugar added after processing.
 
Some foods that contain added sugars are obvious: soft drinks, cookies, candy, ice cream and anything with “sweetened” on the label. Others may be surprising, such as bread, spaghetti sauce and salad dressing — items that could easily sabotage your healthy lifestyle.

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Original vs New Format

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Spot the sugar
Here are some pointers to remember during your next shopping trip:
 

• Carbs can mean sugar; the total carbohydrates in plain [unsweetened] yogurt are from natural sugars. In anything that’s not fruit or dairy — such as bread — know those total carbs come from added sugar, not fiber. Also, some types of bread labeled “gluten free” contain processed starch powders or oils that can cause inflammation to make up for the lost texture found in gluten. Look for breads with whole grains. 

 

• If a manufacturer takes something out, it is frequently putting something back in. A fat-free salad dressing may have lower fat, but it will usually have higher sugar to compensate for that loss of flavor. 

 

• Looking at ingredients on food labels is key. Ingredients are listed in order of weight from heaviest to lightest. If one of the sugars is listed near the top, the product is mostly made of that.​

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Healthier options
Here are a few great staples that keep the sugar down and won’t break your budget:

Bread

• Nature’s Own 100% Whole Grain ​

Pasta sauce

• Classico Family Favorites Meat Sauce
• Victoria Premium Marinara Sauce 

Peanut butter

• Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter ​

Yogurt

• Siggi’s Non-Fat Yogurt
• Fage Total Plain Yogurt ​​

Deli meats

• Boar’s Head Ovengold Roasted Turkey Breast
• Applegate Naturals Oven Roasted Chicken Breast

 
Sweet cheat sheet
There are dozens of names for added sugar. Look for these ingredients when inspecting product labels:
 

• Agave nectar
• Brown sugar
• Cane sugar, cane juice
• Caramel
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
• Fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit nectar
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Malt, malt syrup
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Sugar cane
• Anything ending in “ose” or “ol”

 
If you must use added sugar, aim for a natural source, such as raw honey, 100% pure maple syrup, raw sugar, or Stevia. Processed sugars often come in foods that have little nutritional value. They also break down in the body more rapidly than natural sugars and can cause huge spikes in blood sugar.

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