Let’s Talk About Sugar
There are MANY names for sugar. Avoid buying a packaged food if there is a non-zero value next to “added sugars”. If it’s a food you really can’t live without that has a tiny bit of added sugar (like an 88% dark chocolate with 3g added sugar per serving), eat it sparingly. Generally speaking, avoid all added sugar. If a product has more than 5g added sugar, DEFINITELY don’t buy it!
Sugar comes with many different names:
Sucrose
Glucose
Fructose
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
Corn syrup
Agave nectar
Brown rice syrup
Molasses
Barley malt syrup
Coconut sugar
Date sugar
Turbinado sugar
Raw sugar
Evaporated cane juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Palm sugar
Demerara
Confectioner's sugar
Powdered sugar
Golden syrup
Sorbitol
Maltitol
Rice bran syrup
Beet sugar
Cane juice
Raw honey
Molasses
Caramel
Rice malt syrup
What about honey and maple syrup? These are naturally occurring foods that contain many vitamins and minerals. Buy they still can be a big sugar load for the body, and will be considered an “added sugar” on a label. Use them sparingly and you can always double check how they are affecting you by testing your blood sugar 30-45 minutes after a mealwith a glucometer or continuous glucose monitor after eating.