Sugar Is Hidden In Plain Sight

The average American consumes upwards of 90g of sugar a day. If you know of anyone that drinks multiple sodas and fruit juice drinks, then their number is well north of this figure. Given the disastrous effect sugar has on the body learning how to find these hidden sugars to limit your intake can quite literally save your life!

The AMA recommends 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day for women (25g) and 9 teaspoons of added sugar a day for men (38g). The WHO recommends that ideally only 5% of daily calories come from added sugar. For a 2,000 calorie diet that equates to 25g of added sugar a day. That can add up quite quick. I have many patients who reach a stagnant point in their weight loss goals. One thing they fail to do is to verify how much hidden sugar is in all of the sauces, drinks, condiments, and any other add on "taste" creators they put on their food. The hidden sugar in this group of add-on food items can exceed the daily allotment of added sugar and thereby, keep them stuck in a vicious cycle in which they can not lose weight or manage their health appropriately.

How do you find the hidden sugar? Here are 61 names sugar goes by in your food products and condiment add ons:

• Agave nectar

• Barbados sugar

• Barley malt

• Barley malt syrup

• Beet sugar

• Brown sugar

• Buttered syrup

• Cane juice

• Cane juice crystals

• Cane sugar

• Caramel

• Carob syrup

• Castor sugar

• Coconut palm sugar

• Coconut sugar

• Confectioner's sugar

• Corn sweetener

• Corn syrup

• Corn syrup solids

• Date sugar

• Dehydrated cane juice

• Demerara sugar

• Dextrin

• Dextrose

• Evaporated cane juice

• Free-flowing brown sugars

• Fructose

• Fruit juice

• Fruit juice concentrate

• Glucose

• Glucose solids

• Golden sugar

• Golden syrup

• Grape sugar

• HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup)

• Honey

• Icing sugar

• Invert sugar

• Malt syrup

• Maltodextrin

• Maltol

• Maltose

• Mannose

• Maple syrup

• Molasses

• Muscovado

• Palm sugar

• Panocha

• Powdered sugar

• Raw sugar

• Refiner's syrup

• Rice syrup

• Saccharose

• Sorghum Syrup

• Sucrose

• Sugar (granulated)

• Sweet Sorghum

• Syrup

• Treacle

• Turbinado sugar

• Yellow sugar

Anyone serious about reaching their health goals will have to start by reducing their sugar intake. If you know anyone that is stuck even though they think they are eating well, share this post with them. They need to be aware of these hidden sugars before they will reach their goals of looking great or feeling better.