Eating healthy is a big deal these days, given all the ultra-processed foods available in the supermarket. Food manufacturers don’t make it easy for you either, as they have dozens of nicknames for sugar to make their products look more appealing. We recommend ways to spot these nicknames and list a few of them.
A nutritionist recently revealed the supermarket product she will never buy, because it doesn’t give you anything you need.
Hide sugar names
According to the Diabetes Trust – which recently warned of a real diabetes wave – there are more than 50 nicknames for sugars, meaning people have no idea how much sugar they are actually eating. So cereal brand Holie has it. ABC sugar Launched: A campaign with all the nicknames for sugar, integrated into the familiar ABC. Consumers must become wiser and more able to avoid sugar.
Here are some of these nicknames, in alphabetical order of course:
- A: Aloe vera syrup
- B: Beetroot juice
- A: Caramel
- D: Date syrup
- H: Maple syrup
- F: Fructose
- Z: Glucose syrup
- H: Honey
- Me: The opposite of drink
- Y: Carob syrup
- K: Coconut blossom nectar
- L: Lactose
- M: Molasses
You may not have heard of some of the words, but they actually refer to sugar and are listed in ingredient lists. The difference between granulated sugar, coconut blossom nectar, fruit sugar, or beet syrup: 0.0. Your body sees all sugar as “just” sugar, so it’s equally unhealthy.
This is how you know sugar
“You should look out for words that end in -ose, such as dextrose, -syrup and -syrup,” says Nikki Smit, a dietitian at the Diabetes Trust. “Just look at the label of your favourite products and you’ll see the unnecessary sugars that have been added.”
In addition to taking care of the drink, ose, and stroop, she also recommends:
- Check the ingredient list for sugar aliases.
- Pay attention to the placement in the list, the earlier an item is mentioned, the more likely it is to be present in the product.
- Beware of “natural” sugars. As we mentioned, the body does not distinguish between natural and unnatural sugars, so everything remains unhealthy.
- Use online resources and apps, for example apps that can scan barcodes and tell you how (un)authentic a product is.
When is something low carb?
Is coconut water healthy or is it more like soda?
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