The Many Names of Sugar

We all know sugar is bad for us…

… it automatically raises inflammation, drops immune function, increases risk of heart disease, feeds cancer…

… and of course, by raising inflammation it sets us up for all sorts of other diseases and can even raise our cholesterol.

Sugar also disrupts normal brain processes, can screw up impulse control, put people at risk for mental health issues, and it’s addictive.

So most people know to avoid sugar… but with over 60 names made up for sugar and used on ingredient lists, that can make it tricky.

We’ve got the sugar alcohols:

• Erythritol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

Lots of other sugars ranging from syrups to all sorts of other junk:

• Anhydrous dextrose
• Barley malt
• Barley malt syrup
• Beet sugar
• Brown rice syrup
• Brown sugar (light and dark)
• Cane juice
• Cane juice solids
• Cane sugar
• Cane syrup
• Caramel
• Caramel syrup
• Carob syrup
• Caster sugar
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Corn syrup
• Corn syrup solids
• Crystalline fructose
• Dextran
• Dextrose
• Dehydrated cane juice
• Ethyl maltol
• Evaporated cane juice
• Evaporated cane syrup
• Evaporated sugar cane
• Fructose
• Fructose crystals
• Fruit juice crystals
• Glazing sugar
• Glucose
• Glucose syrup
• Golden sugar
• Golden syrup
• Granulated sugar
• High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

• Icing sugar
• Invert sugar
• Invert syrup
• Isoglucose
• King’s syrup
• Lactose
• Malt extract
• Malt sugar
• Malt syrup
• Malted barley
• Malted milk
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Mannose
• Molasses
• Muscovado
• Pancake syrup
• Panocha
• Panela
• Powdered sugar
• Rapadura
• Raw sugar
• Refiners’ syrup
• Rice malt
• Rice syrup
• Sucanat
• Sucrose
• Sugar
• Superfine sugar
• Table sugar
• Tapioca solids
• Tapioca syrup
• Treacle
• Turbinado sugar
• White sugar
• Yellow sugar

And then we have the “natural” sweeteners that are still sugar, and if we’re reading an ingredient list then we’re probably dealing with something processed:

• Agave
• Agave nectar
• Coconut sugar
• Date sugar
• Demerara sugar
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Honey
• Jaggery
• Maple sugar
• Maple syrup
• Nectar
• Sorghum
• Sorghum syrup

As a general rule: if it ends with “ose” (like lactose, sucrose) it’s a sugar. If it says syrup, it’s sugar.

For all the other names, use the above list and actively look for them in ingredient lists.

And now that you know all the different names used to hide sugar in plain sight, look at how many types of sugar they’ll put in just one product (and then don’t eat it)!

Learn how you can handle your stress here!