25 names for sugar

Do you know how to read nutrition labels? If not, you could get caught up in buying products that are far higher in salt, sugar, saturated, or trans fat than you imagine. According to Discovery Vitality’s Healthy Active Kids report and Vitality’s ObeCity index, as a nation, we are eating far too much sugar.

Being able to understand a nutrition label will keep you from unknowingly eating too many added sugars. For instance, did you know that there are two parts of a nutrition label? One part typically deals with the values of each nutrient in the food; the other deals with the ingredients. When you’re looking for how much sugar is in a product, it’s important to look at both of these components.

How to spot a sugar fraud

When you buy a packaged food product, it’s always a good idea to check the label, but checking the ingredients list can sometimes be confusing. Sugar can be disguised in many ways. Here are just 25 names to look out for: high fructose corn syrup, fructose, deflavoured fruit juice, maltose, maple syrup, brown sugar, agave nectar, sucrose, molasses, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, crystalline fructose, syrup, invert sugar, honey, cane crystals, malt syrup, cane sugar, coloured sugar, raw sugar, glucose, sucrose with added molasses, fruit juice concentrate, evaporated cane juice.

If any of these is listed as one of the first ingredients, it means that there is quite a lot of sugar in the product. The less sugar there is in the product, the further down the ingredients list it will be.

Be sugar smart

It’s also a good idea to check the nutritional information table. This can help you to see how much sugar is in the product, even if you don’t know what the sugar is called in the ingredients list. According to the World Health Organisation, the maximum amount of sugar an adult should eat is 25g a day. Children should eat even less: 15g a day. Look for the amount of Total Sugar listed under Glycaemic Carbohydrates on the table. There will be two numbers listed for sugar: one is the amount per 100g; the other is the amount per serving. If you stick to the recommended serving size, check that the amount of sugar in the product won’t put you over your daily limit.

Get rewarded for making healthy food choices with Vitality

To make it even easier to spot food products that are lower in sugar or sugar-free, activate the Discovery Vitality HealthyFood benefit. This benefit makes it easier to spot healthier options in-store and gives you up to 25% cash back at Pick n Pay or Woolworths for every HealthyFood item you buy, making a healthy diet more affordable. Plus, you can earn up to 1 000 Vitality points a month for buying HealthyFood, increasing your Vitality status for even rewards! Reap the benefits of making healthier choices – activate the HealthyFood benefit here or visit www.discovery.co.za for more.

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