Intrinsically, humans know sugar is bad for us. We know to stay away from too many desserts and to keep soda out of our diet. Over the last few years, consumers have grown even more aware of the effects sugar has on their body.
We read labels and try to stay away from packaged food that contains too much sugar. Companies realize that consumers are catching on to the health hazards of sugar but know it helps make their products so addicting. Manufacturers started jumping on the organic and “all natural” band wagon and marketing their products as such. The problem is products can still be considered organic when they have organic cane sugar or raw molasses in them. Currently, over 74% of packaged foods sold in grocery stores.
Many people look for added sugars in foods to determine if it is a healthy choice. But the added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods and beverages when they are processed or prepared.
After much research and head banging, it is still unclear how cane sugar can be a listed ingredient but not always included under added sugars. Even with the new FDA regulations in 2018 to list added sugars, companies might still be trying to include certain sugars in the total carbohydrates rather than listed in the added sugars.
With over 61 different names for sugar that are allowed to be listed on food packaging, no wonder why consumers have a hard time avoiding it.
Here are some of the most common names sugar is hiding in:
So what can we do? Try to minimize your consumption of packaged foods by sticking to a non-processed, whole foods lifestyle. If you do grab a packaged food, start with reading the ingredients listed. You can usually find this right below or to the side of the nutrition label. Ideally, you would want to look and see if any of sugar’s sneaky names appear on the list. If it does at all, we recommend staying away from that processed food, especially if it is one of the first four ingredients listed (that makes it one of the main ingredients!). Second, be skeptical if product claims to be organic or all natural. Even if all the ingredients are natural, sugar could still be one of these natural ingredients. Loop back to the first step and read the ingredient list to be safe.
Third, find honest companies… we promise they exist! We should know, we carry many of these companies products in our own store. Once you find a company you can trust, make those products your go to.
Sources
http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.XaW3D-dKjcg
Many people look for added sugars in foods to determine if it is a healthy choice. But the added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods and beverages when they are processed or prepared.
After much research and head banging, it is still unclear how cane sugar can be a listed ingredient but not always included under added sugars. Even with the new FDA regulations in 2018 to list added sugars, companies might still be trying to include certain sugars in the total carbohydrates rather than listed in the added sugars.
With over 61 different names for sugar that are allowed to be listed on food packaging, no wonder why consumers have a hard time avoiding it.
Here are some of the most common names sugar is hiding in:
- Sucrose
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Barley Malt
- Dextrose
- Maltose
- Rice Syrup
- Fruit Juice
- Evaporated Cane Sugar
- Agave Nectar
- Caramel
- Glucose
- Maltodextrin
- Molasses
So what can we do? Try to minimize your consumption of packaged foods by sticking to a non-processed, whole foods lifestyle. If you do grab a packaged food, start with reading the ingredients listed. You can usually find this right below or to the side of the nutrition label. Ideally, you would want to look and see if any of sugar’s sneaky names appear on the list. If it does at all, we recommend staying away from that processed food, especially if it is one of the first four ingredients listed (that makes it one of the main ingredients!). Second, be skeptical if product claims to be organic or all natural. Even if all the ingredients are natural, sugar could still be one of these natural ingredients. Loop back to the first step and read the ingredient list to be safe.
Third, find honest companies… we promise they exist! We should know, we carry many of these companies products in our own store. Once you find a company you can trust, make those products your go to.
Sources
http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.XaW3D-dKjcg
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