Why Spotting Added Sugar Matters
You already know that foods like cookies, cakes, and soft drinks are high in sugar. But what about your morning cereal, pasta sauce, or even a simple loaf of bread? Many packaged foods, including savoury ones, contain significant amounts of added sugars
to enhance flavour and extend shelf life. Consuming too much added sugar is linked to various health issues, making it crucial to know what you're actually eating. The first step is learning to decipher the ingredient list, where sugar plays a clever game of hide-and-seek. Ingredients are listed by weight, so if a sugar-related name appears near the top, the product is likely high in added sugar.
The 'Ose' Family: A Common Clue
One of the easiest ways to spot a hidden sugar is to look for words ending in '-ose'. These are scientific names for different types of sugar molecules. When you see sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, or maltose on a label, you're looking at sugar. Sucrose is simply table sugar, made of glucose and fructose. Fructose is naturally found in fruit, but it's often added to products in a concentrated form. Glucose is the body's primary source of energy. While these sound scientific, they all count as added sugar in a packaged product and affect your body in a similar way.
Syrups and Concentrates
The word 'syrup' is another major red flag. There's a vast array of syrups used to sweeten foods, and they're all forms of added sugar. Be on the lookout for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn syrup, maple syrup, rice syrup, barley malt syrup, and golden syrup. Even ingredients that sound potentially healthier, like agave nectar, honey, molasses, or fruit juice concentrate, are still considered added sugars by health experts when used to sweeten a processed food. While they might contain trace amounts of other nutrients, they contribute to your daily sugar intake all the same.
From the Cane and the Fields
Many sugar names evoke a more 'natural' or 'wholesome' image, but they are still processed sweeteners. Terms like cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, cane juice crystals, and beet sugar are all just different names for what eventually becomes table sugar. Similarly, you might see words like coconut sugar, date sugar, raw sugar, or turbinado sugar. While less refined than pure white sugar, these are still concentrated sources of sugar. Other plant-derived names to watch for include maltodextrin (often from corn, rice, or wheat) and diastatic malt, which are frequently used in baked goods and processed snacks.
Becoming a Label Detective in India
In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been updating its labelling regulations to empower consumers. Newer labels are required to clearly distinguish between 'Total Sugars' and 'Added Sugars' in the nutritional information table. This is a huge help, as it gives you a direct number to focus on. Look for the line that says "Includes X g Added Sugars". This tells you exactly how much sugar was put in during manufacturing, separate from the sugars naturally present in ingredients like milk or fruit. When you're comparing two brands of yoghurt or ketchup, a quick glance at the 'Added Sugars' line can help you make a much healthier choice.
Don't Be Fooled by 'Healthy' Claims
Words like 'natural', 'organic', or 'no high-fructose corn syrup' on the front of a package don't mean the product is low in sugar. A breakfast bar can be made with organic cane syrup and fruit juice concentrate, and still be loaded with added sugars. The only way to know for sure is to ignore the marketing on the front and turn the package over. Read the ingredients list for the many names of sugar, and check the 'Added Sugars' value in the nutrition panel. This two-step process is the most reliable way to understand what's really in your food.
