What Are the Types Of Added Sugars?
In the second post in this series, I posted about natural vs. added sugars.
In the third post, I listed several forms of sugar, including ones that people often consider healthier – when they are not. But, again, they are just different names for various types and sources of sugar.
Here is something a bit confusing: added sugars are listed on the Nutrition Facts panel. And considering that maple syrup, honey, white granulated sugar, and all those other sugars – how does that work when looking at the Nutrition Facts panel for maple syrup, honey, granulated sugar, and other sugars packaged alone?
For example, if I take out my container of maple syrup and look at the Nutrition Facts – is that added sugar or naturally occurring sugar?
That is a good question, and there is a good answer too.
Is that an Added Sugar or a Naturally Occurring Sugar?
If this container is a single ingredient product such as maple syrup, honey, white granulated sugar, and others, it is not an added sugar but a naturally occurring sugar. (Assuming you are looking at the label for REAL maple syrup and not some maple-flavored syrupy concoctions that some people find acceptable.)
This distinction was a point of contention when the labels changed several years ago. Maple syrup (etc.) as a sole ingredient is not an added sugar but a naturally occurring sugar. If it is an ingredient in a food or product, it is an added sugar.
So, a sugar packet or a spoonful of honey is a naturally occurring sugar. However, when added to a food or beverage such as coffee or tea, it becomes an added sugar.
Now, when looking at the label, there are two places to look for added sugars: the Nutrition Facts panel under the Added Sugars (as previously explained here and here) AND in the ingredients lists.
Looking for sugars in the ingredients list will indicate the presence of added sugars and what kind.
Again, if the ingredients list only one component (such as 100% pure care sugar), it will not be an added sugar.
Sugar Aliases
Added sugar sources have many aliases – and go by many names. Not all these are the white granulated table sugar that most people think of, but different forms of sugar. Some of these may be for flavor – adding sweetness to the food, but they also may have important properties in the preparation, baking, or mouthfeel of a food.
For example, a baked good with honey rather than white granulated sugar or brown sugar changes the texture, and we must adjust the recipe to accommodate this. (Keeping in mind that changing the source of sugar does not mean it is healthier.)
What are the various names? There are over 60 names for various added sugars – so if you are curious, look at the foods you eat and the potential for more added sugars than you realize.
Here is a list of 30 of the various names for added sugars:
Agave nectar
Brown Rice Syrup
Brown Sugar
Cane Crystals
Cane Sugar
Coconut Sugar
Corn Sweetener
Corn Syrup
Crystalline Fructose
Dextrose
Evaporated Cane Juice
Fructose*
Fruit Juice Concentrates
Honey
Invert Sugar
Lactose*
Malt Sugar
Malt Syrup
Maltose*
Maple Sugar
Molasses
Nectars
Raw Sugar
Rice Syrup
Sucrose*
Sugar
Syrup
White Granulated Sugar
Remember that we don’t necessarily need to eliminate added sugars but aim for and keep them at less than 10% of total calories for the day.
Remember that we don’t necessarily need to eliminate added sugars but aim for and keep them at less than 10% of total calories for the day.
*These are also naturally occurring sugars found in whole foods, meaning they are in the food but will not be listed as a separate ingredient if they are not added. For example, milk naturally has lactose and is not an added ingredient, so it is not listed in the ingredients list or on the label as an added sugar.
Next in the series: Non-Nutritive Sweeteners aka Sugar Substitutes
