20+ Names for Sugar

If you're trying to cut back on sugar intake, you'll need to know what you're looking at! Just [...]

If you're trying to cut back on sugar intake, you'll need to know what you're looking at! Just scanning a nutrition label for the word "sugar" isn't going to be enough. Sugar is masked by different names in different products and you need to know what you're looking at! From Prevention, here are some sneaky synonyms for sugar!

agave nectar
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Cereals, ice cream, organic foods

Why you should avoid it: You'll use less because it's sweeter, but its sugar is more concentrated than even high-fructose corn syrup, meaning there won't be any difference health-wise.

organic raw sugar
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Used as a white sugar alternative

Why you should avoid it: Because the FDA doesn't define and regulate the definition of "natural" products, things like "organic raw" sugar are often misrepresented. It's processed and refined, and chemicals are usually added, making its title a misnomer.

ethyl maltol
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Breads, cakes, confectionary goods

Why you should avoid it: This highly pure compound is often used as flavoring due to its extremely sweet scent, indicating its hazardous high-sugar content.

oat syrup
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Granola bars, cereals, cookies, baked goods, ice cream

Why you should avoid it: Often mislabeled as "organic oat syrup," this product has several good qualities: It's a rich source of antioxidants and has the ability to help lower cholesterol when consumed in moderation. Even so, it remains high in both caloric value and sugar content.

brown rice syrup
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Rice milk, cereal bars, organic foods

Why you should avoid it: Rice is a major reason why inorganic arsenic is likely being introduced into your diet, and brown rice syrup is no better. According to the Food and Drug Administration, long-term exposure to arsenic is associated with higher rates of certain types of cancer.

fructose
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Baked goods and soft drinks, naturally occurring in fruits and honey

Why you should avoid it: Fructose consumption has been strongly tied to rising obesity rates in the past several decades, and research shows that fructose consumption now accounts for 10 percent of our daily caloric intake.

>> Read more: How Sugar Affects Your Health

carob syrup
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Cakes, cookies, and used as a substitute for chocolate

Why you should avoid it: When processed into carob syrup, the beneficial proteins and nutrients found in carob fruit is stripped away, and what you're left with is mostly empty calories.

corn sweetener
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Liquid sweeteners, frozen foods, cough syrups, antacids

Why you should avoid it: A large a majority of corn in the United States is genetically modified. You won't find this distinction on your food labels though, and its health effects are largely untested.

fruit juice concentrates
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Fruit juices, fruit-flavored yogurts

Why you should avoid it: Juice concentrate is made by removing water from fruit juice, leaving out pulp and nutrients in that would otherwise be found in naturally squeezed juice.

crystalline fructose
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Ice cream, baked goods, used as fruit flavoring

Why you should avoid it: Crystalline fructose is essentially pure fructose, and similarly has been linked to hyperlipidemia (high levels of fats in the blood) and fatty liver disease.

panela
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Baked goods, sodas, wine, vinegars

Why you should avoid it: This sugar variation from Latin America is made from evaporated sugar cane juice and is basically pure sugar.

>> Read more: 20 Reasons Why You Should Cut Down on Sugar

tapioca syrup
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Fruit drinks, health bars, cereals

Why you should avoid it: This syrup is often used interchangeably with its maple counterpart as a healthy alternative, but the difference is rather minute. Although it has less sugar than maple syrup, in contains about the same amount of carbohydrates and calories.

To find out more names for sugar, go on to the next page.

dextran
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Used as a food additive

Why you should avoid it: This complex sugar is produced in our body when we break down starch. As a food additive, however, it often contains trace amounts of allergens such as wheat and corn.

galactose
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Fast foods, vegetable products, dairy products

Why you should avoid it: Galactose is a naturally-occurring sugar that can drive up your blood pressure and contribute to diabetes.

treacle
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Tarts, merengues, desserts

Why you should avoid it: Golden syrup is but one of a line of syrups derived from treacle. Made from the remains of brown sugar production, treacle is high in sucrose, fructose, and glucose, all types of sugar. It has 146 calories per serving, yet no nutrients whatsoever.

sucrose
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Cookies, cakes, biscuits, pies, ice cream

Why you should avoid it: This far-too-familiar face has played a significant role in the growing instances of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

maltodextrin
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Beer, sodas, candies, processed foods

Why you should avoid it: Nutrients like protein have been processed out of this common food additive. It's been found to be harmful to those with celiac disease and wheat and corn allergies since it's derived from corn.

diastatic malt
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Baked goods, milk shakes, ice cream, flavored syrups

Why you should avoid it: Diastatic malt powder is produced from barley and contains about two-thirds as many calories as table sugar.

sorghum
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Cereals, cakes, muffins, beer, alcoholic beverages

Why you should avoid it: The good news is that sorghum often contains high levels of dietary fiber. The bad news is that each serving contains 163 calories and 36 grams of carbohydrates.

diatase
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Barley, milk, plants, your saliva

Why you should avoid it: The very first enzyme ever discovered, diastase helps your body process the sugar you eat by turning starch into maltose and then into glucose, other types of sugar that contribute to blood sugar spikes.

maltose
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Barley malt, beer, beverages, corn syrup

Why you should avoid it: This sugar is half as sweet as white sugar, which may lead you to load up on its empty calories.

panocha
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Cookies, desserts, fudge

Why you should avoid it: This product is a combination of brown sugar, butter, and milk, providing countless reasons to pass on it.

rice syrup
(Photo: Prevention)

What it's in: Pies, cookies, cakes, granola bars

Why you should avoid it: Rice syrup is relatively low on the glycemic index. However, it's extremely high in maltose, yet another sugar in disguise.

What other forms of sugar are lurking in your foods? Click here for the original article on Prevention.

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