It may have been how things were done when Mary Poppins was in charge, but we have probably taken our addiction to sugar just one spoonful too far!
Our consumption of sugar is now not only from the sugar jar but it has found its way into too many foods on our supermarket shelves. And I am not only talking about the obvious ones like sweets, biscuits, cakes, cordials and soft drinks.
Sugar is hidden in so many others foods you just would not expect – canned vegetables, soups and fruit, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, peanut butter, breakfast cereals, flavoured oatmeal, breads, dry biscuits, yoghurts, muffins, muesli bars, salad dressings, iced teas, pasta sauces and syrups, protein bars and sports drinks. Low fat items are more often than not loaded with extra sugar to compensate for the change in taste from the reduction in fat.
The average Australian currently consumes well over 40 kilograms (90 pounds) of sugar per year, having the equivalent of around 30 teaspoons, or 2008 Kilojoules / 480 calories per day.
As I mentioned in this post about fructose, manufacturers have become very savvy and use many different names for sugars on their labels. Whether their intention is to fool the consumer or not, it is worth being aware of some of these ‘other’ names for sugar. Often on an ingredient list the word sugar will be close to the top, then a few ingredients later you might find maltose, followed further down the list by corn syrup – all just different names for sugar!
Other names you might find include:
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- Demerara Sugar
- Dextrose
- Fructose
- Galactose
- Glucose
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Honey
- Invert Sugar
- Lactose
- Malt
- Maltodextrin
- Maltose
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Muscovado or Barbados Sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Rice Syrup
- Sucrose
- Sugar (granulated)
- Treacle
- Turbinado sugar
Say no to too much sugar…You are all sweet enough!
Be Healthy Happy and Amazing!
Caroline x