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.