Here's How to Spot Hidden Sugar on Food Labels
It's often tricky to determine how much sugar is in food, even when you check the ingredients list. Here's what you need to look for.
We all know that too much sugar isn't good for our health. While sugar provides essential energy, too much can lead to issues like diabetes and obesity. The World Health Organization recommends limiting added sugar intake to 25g per day, including both sugar added by you (like in coffee or yogurt) and sugar added by manufacturers. This is where the challenge begins.
Sugar often sneaks into foods you wouldn't expect, like cereals, savory snacks, sauces, and ready-made meals, where it helps preserve the product. To identify sugar, you have to carefully read the food labels. It's not enough to check the "carbs" or "sugars per serving" section, as these numbers include naturally occurring sugars, not just the added ones. The key is the ingredient list.
Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so the first few items give you a good indication of what's in the product. Keep in mind, sugar can show up under many different names. Any ingredient ending in "ose" (like fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, sucrose) is a form of sugar. You'll also find sugar in ingredients like molasses, caramel, agave syrup, maple syrup, and corn syrup. And sometimes sugar is hidden in less obvious forms, like starch (including modified or genetically modified starch), dextrin, malt extract, or maltodextrin.
Additionally, be wary of misleading labels. Some products may claim to be "sugar-free," but that just means they don't contain saccharose (the classic sugar from beets or sugar cane). They may still contain other sugars, such as fructose (from fruits) or lactose (from milk). Similarly, "sugar-free" products might still contain complex carbs like starch or artificial sweeteners.
"Added sugar-free" means the product only contains the sugars naturally present in its ingredients (like in fruit purees or juices). Meanwhile, "reduced sugar" means the product has at least 30% less sugar than the regular version, but that doesn't mean it's low in sugar, it's just a less sugary option.
As a general rule, the shorter the ingredient list, the less processed the product. Avoid items with ingredients you don't understand, as these are often additives, which usually start with the letter E. If you're in a hurry or have trouble reading labels, apps like Yuka can help. You can scan product barcodes, and Yuka will give it a score out of 100, showing how much sugar it contains per 100g.