Added sugar can be found in a variety of different names and
forms in your food and drink. If you’re wondering if you’re having too much sugar in your diet,
why not find out which types
of sugars may be lurking. Here's what to avoid if you want to be sugar
free and what's okay (in moderation) if you want to cut down...
What types of
sugars are in your diet?
If you're trying to be sugar free - here are the names
of the top fifteen offending types of sweeteners to avoid on a list of added ingredients:
Glucose
First of all, glucose is the main sugar found in your blood.
It’s your body’s main source of energy and comes from the food you eat.
Maltose
Maltose is two glucose molecules bound together and is
created in the parts of plants where energy is stored so it can be broken down.
Foods like cereals, some fruits and sweet potatoes contain naturally high
amounts of this sugar.
Dextrose
Dextrose is a type of simple sugar derived from corn and is
chemically identical to glucose. It can be found in processed foods and corn
syrup.
Sucrose
Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar found in plants like
fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Lactose
You’ve probably heard of this one: lactose is a sugar that’s
found in milk.
Fructose
Fructose is a sugar that is found naturally in fruits, fruit
juices, some vegetables and honey. Fructose is okay to have in whole fruit
because it's naturally packaged up with fibre - exactly how nature intends you
to consume sugar.
However, when you take the fibre away from fruit (like in
fruit juices) and you're left with all that fructose - then it's not so good to
have too much.
High-fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a top offending type of sweetener
to avoid. Just because it says 'fructose' it doesn't mean that it's all natural
and good - it's a processed sweetener.
Some other sugars to look out for:
●Fruit juice
concentrate
●Corn syrup
●Barley malt syrup
●Rice syrup
●Malt syrup
●Maltodextrin
●Dextrin
●Invert sugar
Do honey and maple syrup have sugar in them?
So, are honey and maple syrup a type of sugar? Yup - they're sugary
too, but at least they're 100% natural and have lots of nutrients in
them.
Maple syrup is sap from the maple tree and honey is made
from flower nectar gathered by the beloved bee and has been used as a natural
sweetener far longer than sugar.
You still shouldn't have too much, but if you are in need of
a little something sweet to beat those sugar cravings in your food or
drink, then a sneaky dollop of honey or maple syrup is your best bet. However,
just be sure to avoid 'maple-flavoured' syrup - that is far from being the real
thing.
How to avoid sugar
Remember: everything in moderation! If you’re struggling
balancing your sugar intake, (especially after learning how many different types of sugar
there are in our daily diets) we have some suggestions.
Avoiding sugar in drinks is pretty easy – just stick with pure water and you can't go wrong.
Adding a squeeze of lemon can help you to drink more water, as it switches
up the flavour.
When you’re craving something sugary, switch the chocolate craving
for fruit. Because of the naturally
occurring sugars, you can get your fix in a healthier way. Of course, not
going overboard is key to this.
If you’re trying to avoid
lactose (the sugar in milk), switching to milk alternatives, like almond
milk or oat milk, can be an easy swap.
Did you know that there are many artificial sweeteners that can replaces the sugars above? Discover their names so you can easily recognise them and find out the main side effects of artificial sweeteners here.
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Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add the Smart Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
Once you add a Package to your basket, and progress to the last stage of the checkout process, we will then add in your discount. So don't worry if you don't see it before then (such as in the cart).
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