Sugar is DELICIOUS. In fact, it’s so delicious that it can make even the worst ingredients taste okay. That’s why manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods sold in supermarkets (1).

I work with very smart people like you who undoubtedly understand that there is a lot of sugar in cookies and pastries. It’s also easy to see the link between what you eat and your overall health. The confusing part, however, is the foods promoted as “natural” or “healthy” are often laden with added sugars. So, even if you skip dessert, you may still be consuming much more added sugar than is recommended for your health. I don’t know about you, but I would MUCH rather get my allotted sugar from a chocolate chip cookie than from a salad dressing!

To avoid added sugar, look only at the ingredients. The 60 names for sugar and the 18 names for artificial sweeteners are listed below.

Agave nectar

Barbados sugar

Barley malt

Barley malt syrup

Beet sugar

Brown sugar

Buttered syrup

Cane juice

Cane juice crystals

Cane sugar

Caramel

Carob syrup

Castor sugar

Coconut palm sugar

Coconut sugar

Confectioner’s sugar

Corn sweetener

Corn syrup

Corn syrup solids

Date sugar

Dehydrated cane juice

Demerara sugar

Dextrin

Dextrose

Evaporated cane juice

Free-flowing brown

sugars

Fructose

Fruit juice concentrate

Glucose

Glucose solids

Golden sugar

Golden syrup

Grape sugar

HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)

Honey

Icing sugar

Invert sugar

Malt syrup

Maltodextrin

Maltol

Maltose

Mannose

Maple syrup

Molasses

Muscovado

Palm sugar

Panocha

Powdered sugar

Raw sugar

Refiner’s syrup

Rice syrup

Saccharose

Sorghum Syrup

Sucrose

Sugar (granulated)

Sweet Sorghum

Syrup

Treacle

Turbinado sugar

Artificial sweeteners (with brand names in parenthesis):

Acesulfame potassium (sunett, sweet one)

Advantame

Aspartame (equal, nutrasweet)

Erythritol

Hydrogentated starch hydrolysate

Isomalt

Lactitol

Malitol

Mannitol

Neotame

Saccharin (sugartwin, sweet’n low)

Sorbitol

Stevia extracts (truvia, pure via)

Sucrolose (splenda)

Tagatose (naturlose)

Trehalose

Xylitol

I hope you’ll sign up for our No Sugar Challenge to raise your awareness around all of the hidden sugars in food, so you are armed with the knowledge to choose wisely.

(1)Ng, S.W., Slining, M.M., & Popkin, B.M. (2012). Use of caloric and noncaloric sweeteners in US consumer packaged foods, 2005-2009. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , 112(11), 1828-1834.e1821-1826.