Sugar has snuck its way into our diets drastically over the years. It has more names than the witness protection program! I encourage my clients to read labels and become familiar with what they are buying and not just what it says on the front of the package, which I like to call the highlight reel. (highlighting only what is good) With a bit of knowledge, you can become an expert on the many names of sugar to be on the lookout for. 

What’s so bad about sugar? 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (or fatty liver, for short) affects 90 million Americans and is a major cause of chronic disease and inflammation in the body. This inflammation creates insulin resistance and pre-diabetes, which causes your body to deposit fat not just in your liver but also all around your organs and in your belly. So what is driving fatty liver and the whole cascade of issues it causes? Sugar is the main factor! 

Your liver is important in regulating your metabolism, handles insulin and the production of fat takes place in your liver. Glycogen is also stored in your liver and if overburdened with it, will turn into fat. Your liver is responsible for so much every minute, it filters your whole blood supply! I mean it literally has the word LIVE in it! 

Sugar is known to enhance flavors, helps with preservation, promotes browning, and is often a hidden ingredient in processed foods (think packaged items) The scary part is all this added sugar that you may not be aware of is introducing you and your family to the possibility of Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and unwanted weight gain. 

There is no nutritional value in the empty calories from sugar. I like to call sugar recreational food. So let’s learn more about the other names to look out for when shopping. I want to empower you with the knowledge to do your own detective work and not count on the marketing companies to sell you only the highlights of their products. 

Become a Label Detective

Ever see a scientific word on a label and have no idea how to even begin to pronounce it? Usually sugar. Oh and a fun marketing trick is to rename the word altogether! One way to recognize sugar is with the ending suffix – ose. Sugars ending in -ose are;

• Sucrose
• Maltose
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Glucose
• Galactose
• Lactose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Glucose Solids

Other words for sugar that don’t end in -ose;

• Cane juice, evaporated cane juice, cane juice solids, cane juice crystals, or dehydrated cane juice: These sweeteners are made from sugar cane. 
• Agave: Agave comes from the agave plant, is about 1.5 times sweeter than white sugar, and contains fructose.
• Maple syrup: This sweet syrup comes from the sap of maple trees. Unlike white sugar, it is minimally processed.
• Molasses: Molasses is a by-product of the sugar refining process. It has a lower sugar content than other sugars and high nutritional value.
• Honey: Honey is produced by bees from the flower nectar they have collected. It contains high amounts of natural sugar and calories but is more nutritious than white sugar.
• Maltodextrin: Maltodextrin is made by refining corn, rice, or potato starch to a fine powder. 
• Barley malt: This sweetener is significantly less sweet than sugar and made from sprouted barley. 
• Beet sugar: Beet sugar is made from the sugar beet plant which contains high levels of sucrose.
• Corn syrup: This sugary syrup is made from corn and is found in many sweetened processed foods and beverages.
• Corn syrup solids: This product is dehydrated corn syrup with a small percentage of water left behind.
• Caramel: Made by burning sugar and combining with alkali, caramel is used as a food coloring or flavoring.
• Carob syrup: This syrup, similar in consistency to molasses, is made from the carob pod, a natural sweetener used as a chocolate substitute.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar, also called yellow sugar or dark brown sugar, is simply white sugar with molasses added. 
• Date sugar: Date sugar is made from ground or finely chopped, dehydrated dates and not from sugar cane or sugar beets.
• Malt syrup: Malt syrup is created from barley and ground corn and is similar in consistency to honey.
• Fruit juice: Fruit juice is the juice of pressed fruit. It contains the fruit’s natural sugars.
• Fruit juice concentrate: Fruit juice concentrate is made by evaporating most of the water content from fruit juice.
• Invert sugar: This sugar is a mix of glucose and fructose and is often found in processed baked goods.
• Turbinado: Turbinado sugar comes from sugar cane and is less refined than white sugar with larger size crystals and a light brown color.
• Raw sugar: Raw sugar is made from the first stage of refining sugar cane and has a strong sweet taste and caramel color.
• Sorghum syrup: Sorghum syrup is a highly nutritious product made from the sorghum plant. It’s similar in consistency to honey but has a much darker color.

Stay Informed!

As you can see, sugar comes in many sneaky forms. Stay informed of these added sugars you might be adding to your daily diet and are not even aware of it! Also, remember that 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp. So when a product has 8 grams of sugar per serving that’s 2 tsp right there – get out a measuring tsp to see for yourself just how much that is. It’s an eye opener! 

All this added sugar in our diets contributes to poor metabolic health. Studies have shown that those in poor health, overweight and/or with diabetes are more likely to die from Covid. So let’s change our diet starting with less sugar and change our health! 

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Want to learn more and beat your own Sugar Blues? Join me and Sam from Whole Health Nutrition for our 7 day Sugar Blues Workshop happening June 7th – June 13th, 2021. Full info below – email hello@cherisemazur.com to save your spot! 

Sugar is added into so many foods that you might not be aware of (those darn sneaky marketing terms!) Sugar effects on the body include;

Fatigue

Brain Fog

Acne & Wrinkles

Craving Sweet

Food is never sweet enough

Inflammation

High Blood Pressure…..

With our 7 day challenge you will learn to find those added sugars, eliminate them & start to feel more energy, less brain fog, become more mindful of what you are eating & say bye bye to those blood sugar crashes 👋🏻

What’s Included:

    ⁃    7 day sample meal plan & grocery list with recipes from Cherise & Sam!

    ⁃    Tips on how to detect sugars in packaged foods & sneaky names for added sugars!

    ⁃    Kick off meeting on Friday June 2nd 7:30PM & closing meeting on June 13th 7:30PM.

    ⁃    Private FB Group that will stay active FOREVER!

    ⁃    Unlimited access to Sam & Cherise via email

    ⁃    Exclusive discount on Health Coaching Services with Sam or Cherise

The price for the challenge is $20. Sign up BEFORE JUNE 1ST & receive a $5 discount! To sign up email hello@cherisemazur.com