Too Many Names for Sugar: Which Ones to Avoid!

As I’ve mentioned before, added sugar is considered the most dangerous part of the Standard American Diet. It’s no longer just reserved for sweets anymore and instead found in soooo many different products including breads, crackers, snack foods, yogurts and even salad dressings.

The really tricky part though is that added sugar is listed under a variety of different names that could easily be overlooked. Plus, even if you do a quick check to make sure it’s not among the top three ingredients listed (and what the product contains the most of), you could miss the fact that many companies use three or four different types of added sugar in a single product, so they will all end up lower on the list. Sneaky, I know!

Below are all the names we found … I know it’s a lot to look out for when checking ingredient labels, but I promise this is an important one!

Names for Added, Refined Sugar*

1. Agave nectar
2. Barbados sugar
3. Barley malt
4. Barley malt syrup
5. Beet sugar
6. Brown sugar
7. Buttered syrup
8. Cane juice
9. Cane juice crystals
10. Cane sugar
11. Caramel
12. Carob syrup
13. Castor sugar
14. Coconut palm sugar
15. Coconut sugar
16. Confectioner’s sugar
17. Corn sweetener
18. Corn syrup
19. Corn syrup solids
20. Date sugar
21. Dehydrated cane juice
22. Demerara sugar
23. Dextrin
24. Dextrose
25. Evaporated cane juice
26. Free-flowing brown sugars
27. Fructose
28. Fruit juice concentrate
29. Glucose
30. Glucose solids
31. Golden sugar
32. Golden syrup
33. Grape sugar
34. HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)
35. Icing sugar
36. Invert sugar
37. Malt syrup
38. Maltodextrin
39. Maltol
40. Maltose
41. Mannose
42. Molasses
43. Muscovado
44. Palm sugar
45. Panocha
46. Powdered sugar
47. Raw sugar
48. Refiner’s syrup
49. Rice syrup
50. Saccharose
51. Sorghum syrup
52. Sucrose
53. Sugar (granulated)
54. Sweet sorghum
55. Syrup
56. Treacle
57. Turbinado sugar
58. Yellow sugar

Also be on the lookout for Unrefined, Added Sugar…

1. Honey
2. Pure maple syrup

*Source: Sugar Science

Once again sugar itself is not the problem – it’s the quantity in which it’s being consumed. So if you’re going to indulge in some of these sweet ingredients just make sure you don’t exceed the recommended daily allowance for added sugar, which is 6 teaspoons (24 grams) for women, 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men, and 3 teaspoons (12 grams) for children.

Did I miss any names for sugar on this list? If so, please share below in the comments!