Do you know the Paul Simon song “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover?” I call my version “115 Ways to Slip in Sugar.” The names for sugar that you don’t know can hurt you. Read on to become an educated sugar consumer.
Motivated by the documentary Fed Up, I looked into sugar facts and found 3 that particularly shocked me. If you haven’t checked them out, you might start here.
Then keep in mind that on packaged food labels, ingredients are listed in quantity order, with the highest quantity ingredient listed first. If a label lists a form of sugar or any other sweetener among the first several ingredients, that’s a big “beware” sign . Of course, even if no single sweetener is among the top ingredients, there may be several hidden throughout the list. Those hidden sugars may add up to a hefty dose of sweeteners.
Because food labels lump (pardon the pun) naturally occurring sugar (found primarily in dairy and fruit products) and added sweeteners together as sugar, you have to be a detective to figure out the real added sweetener story.
Some added sweeteners are easy to spot; they contain “sugar” or a similarly obvious word. You don’t have to know much to figure out that brown sugar, confectioners sugar, and bar sugar are different types of sugar. But how about brown rice syrup? That one fooled me. And what about jaggery or panela or piloncillo? Many of us recognize high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, but did you know that diastatic malt is an added sweetener?
You need a list. So here is mine – at the moment it stands at 115 names for sugar (in many forms) and other added sweeteners, in alphabetical order.
Do you have names to add? If so, leave them in a comment below or on the MotherWouldKnow Facebook page, or tweet them to me.
Names for Sugar and Other Added Sweeteners in Food
- agave
- agave nectar
- agave syrup
- amasake (made from rice)
- amber liquid sugar
- anhydrous dextrose
- arenga palm sugar
- baker’s special sugar
- bar sugar
- Barbados sugar (also called Muscovado)
- barley malt syrup
- beet sugar
- blackstrap molasses
- brown rice syrup
- brown sugar
- butterd sugar
- buttered syrup
- candy floss sugar
- cane crystals
- cane juice crystals
- cane sugar
- caramel
- carob syrup
- castor or caster sugar
- coarse sugar
- coconut sugar
- confectioners sugar
- corn sweetener
- corn syrup
- corn syrup solids
- cotton candy sugar
- crystalline fructose
- dark brown sugar
- dark corn syrup
- date sugar
- dehydrated cane juice
- demerara sugar
- dextrin or dextran
- dextrose
- diastatic malt
- diatase
- ethyl maltol
- evaporated cane juice
- fructose
- fruit juice
- fruit juice concentrates
- fruit sugar
- galactose
- glucose
- glucose solids
- golden sugar
- golden syrup
- grape juice concentrate
- grape sugar
- granulated sugar
- high-fructose corn syrup
- high fructose maize syrup
- honey
- honey comb
- icing sugar
- invert sugar
- isomalt
- jaggery
- lactose
- light brown sugar
- light corn syrup
- malt sugar
- malt syrup
- maltodextrin
- maltose
- maple sugar
- maple syrup
- mizuame
- molasses
- molasses syrup
- Muscovado sugar
- nectar (peach, pear, etc)
- oat syrup
- organic raw sugar
- palm sugar
- panela
- panocha
- pearl sugar
- piloncillo
- powdered sugar
- rapadura
- raw honey
- raw sugar
- refined sugar
- refiner’s syrup
- rice bran syrup
- rice syrup
- rock sugar
- saccharose
- sanding sugar
- simple sugar
- sorbitol
- sorghum
- sorghum syrup
- spun sugar
- sucrose
- sugar
- sulphured molasses
- superfine sugar
- syrup
- tapioca syrup
- treacle
- turnbinado sugar
- unrefined sugar
- unsulpured molasses
- whipped honey
- white sugar
- xylose
- yacon syrup
- yellow sugar
Now that you’re looking at food ingredient labels more closely, tell us abut your most surprising finds.
In what unexpected foods did you find added sweeteners? What added sweeteners were the trickiest to spot? Personally, I’m not going sugar-free, but I’m a lot more discerning about added sweeteners now that I’ve got a handy list.
Alisa Fleming says
It’s not a new thing, but I think what surprised me most many years ago was when I saw added sugar in so many pasta sauces! I understand the pinch to cut acidity, but many had sugar listed as one of the top ingredients! This is a fantastic list – thanks for putting it together.
motherwouldknow says
Alisa, Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I agree that the sugar in pasta sauce is disturbing, not for the fact that it’s there, but for how much is used in some of the prepared sauces.
Christine says
When I started changing the way I eat and looking at food labels a few years ago, I was so shocked to see all the added sugars in everyday items, like pasta sauce, ketchup, and canned goods. I think it’s ridiculous, actually. I’m glad you are helping get the world out. It’s good to know what’s in our food.
Manila Spoon says
Wow that’s a very exhaustive list. I often read my labels but am sure that I still miss some "funny" ingredients that they add there. Thanks for sharing this very helpful information.
Judy says
What about sucralose? That should be on the list as well.
Laura says
Judy, I’ve never heard of sucralose. But I’ll look it up and yes, if it’s a sugar, it should be on the list.