Added sugar: Don't get sabotaged by sweeteners #6

Recognizing added sugar

If you're not sure which foods and beverages contain added sugar, don't despair. First, know that among the biggest culprits behind excessive amounts of added sugar are soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks.

Ways to spot added sugar:

• Read the front of the food package. Some, but not all packages, state whether an item is sugar-free or contains no added sugar. But be aware that some sugar-free products may contain sugar substitutes, and some of these can cause stomach or digestive upset.

• Check the ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. So if you see sugar listed among the first few ingredients, the product might be high in added sugar. Know that sugar goes by many different names, though — it may not be easy to spot added sugar even in the ingredient list. And natural sugars generally aren't included in the ingredient list.

• Read the Nutrition Facts label. The label is required to list an item's total amount of sugar per serving. However, it doesn't distinguish between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar.

• Check for grocery store nutrition rating systems. These nutrition rating systems, such as Guiding Stars and NuVal, use symbols, scores or colors to indicate how a product rates in terms of calories, fiber, fat, sodium, and sometimes sugar and other nutrients.

Different names for added sugar

Sugar goes by many different names, depending on its source and how it was made. This can make it confusing to identify added sugar, even when you read ingredient lists and food labels. One easy way: Check for ingredients ending in "ose" &mdsah; that's the chemical name for many types of sugar, such as fructose.

Here's a look at common types of sugar and added sugar:

• Brown sugar. Granulated white sugar with added molasses for flavor and color, commonly used in baking.

• Cane juice and cane syrup. Sugar from processed sugar cane. Further processing produces brown or white solid cane sugar.

• Confectioners' sugar. Granulated white sugar that has been ground into a fine powder, sometimes with a small amount of cornstarch. Commonly used in icings and whipped toppings.

• Corn sweeteners and corn syrup. Corn sugars and corn syrups made from corn and processed cornstarch.

• Dextrose. Another name for glucose.

• Fructose. Sugar that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables and honey.

• Fruit juice concentrate. A form of sugar made when water is removed from whole juice to make it more concentrated.

• Glucose. A simple sugar that provides your body's main source of energy. Also called blood sugar because it circulates in your blood.

• Granulated white sugar. This is table sugar, or pure crystallized sucrose, made by processing raw sugar from sugar cane or sugar beets. It's commonly used in baking or to sweeten tea or coffee.

• High fructose corn syrup. The most common sweetener in processed foods and beverages, this is a combination of fructose and glucose made by processing corn syrup.

• Honey. A mix of glucose, fructose and sucrose created from nectar made by bees.

• Invert sugar. Used as a food additive to preserve freshness and prevent shrinkage, this is a mix of fructose and glucose made by processing sucrose.

• Lactose. Sugar that occurs naturally in milk.

• Maltose. Starch and malt broken down into simple sugars and used commonly in beer, bread and baby food.

• Malt syrup. A grain syrup made from evaporated corn mash and sprouted barley.

• Molasses. The thick, dark syrup that's left after sugar beets or sugar cane is processed for table sugar.

• Sucrose. The chemical name for granulated white sugar (table sugar).

• Syrup. Sugar comes in many forms of syrup, a thick, sweet liquid that can be made from the processing of sugar or from sugar cane, grains such as corn or rice, maple sap, and other sources.

• White sugar. Same as granulated white sugar (table sugar).

By Mayo Clinic staff

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/added-sugar/MY00845

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.blogspot.com/