I know I talk a LOT about sugar, but that’s because it’s important! Here in America, overconsumption of sugar is to blame for a handful of the most serious, widespread and yet often preventable health problems that plague our nation.
One of the biggest issues in my opinion is lack of education - not only that many people aren’t aware of the negative effects sugar can have on their health, but also that you would have to go out of your way to learn how to recognize the sugars that hide in your food because they go by so many different names.
Barley malt? Sounds like it comes from barley, which is a grain, so it should be ok, right? Well, it’s actually sugar.
Fruit juice concentrate? Sounds like it comes from fruit, so it should be at least moderately healthy, right? It’s also actually just sugar.
Maltodextrin - WTF? I’m not a scientist, so what even is that? Again, sugar.
From whatever source, sugar is still sugar. It can be “natural” like agave or honey, or highly processed like high-fructose corn syrup, but it all affects your body in a similar way. And since it’s such an affordable flavor enhancer and filler, companies use it all the time to make their products more palatable.
When reading ingredient labels, it’s not uncommon for even those of us who are experienced with food and nutrition to get lost in a list of words we don’t recognize, and furthermore couldn’t possibly pronounce!
So if you’ve never even considered this before, you’re not alone. And if you’re overwhelmed and confused, you’re definitely not alone!
The two lessons I hope you’ll take away from this are:
Read the nutrition label AND the ingredient label. The nutrition facts will tell you how much of each macronutrient (protein, fat, carbs) are in a food, and will also break down the amount of sugars it contains as a subcategory of the carbohydrate count. This is important, as it will give you the total amount of sugar in that product regardless of the source.
If the product you’re considering has tons of ingredients, and you don’t know what many of them are, put it back. That’s a great indicator that it’s highly processed and probably a vehicle for lots of things that don’t do your body any favors… As a general rule of thumb, the fewer ingredients the better!
Here are some more of my favorite names for sugar that you might not have noticed yet:
Dehydrated cane juice (this one is hilarious to me)
Evaporated cane juice crystals
Golden syrup
Muscavado
Sucrose
Dextrose
Black strap molasses
Crystallized fructose
This is just barely scratching the surface, friends… There are dozens of sneaky names for sugar, so be your own sleuth! It’s as simple as grabbing your phone and doing a quick google search of an ingredient you don’t know - it’s 2018 guys, use technology to your advantage!
The more you learn the more horrified you will likely become… Sorry in advance! Sometimes you’ll chance upon a beloved product whose first few ingredients you may not recognize, and then you do a little research and realize that ALL of them are sugar, just under different names. Bummer.
But I’d personally way rather know, because that puts me in control of my health and fitness. I know that I’ll only ever have this one body, so I want to treat it as well as I can! In this case, in my opinion, ignorance is not bliss!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - knowledge is power. It’s corny, but true! Take it upon yourself to learn as much as you can about how to stay healthy. I’ll always do my best to help with that!
If you ever have questions, which ALL of us do, never hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to contribute in any way that I can!
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you’d like! :)
