Many of us love the granola that we buy in the healthy aisle at the supermarket. Many also reach for healthy “whole grain” bread. And while we’re shopping we just grab a bottle of ready-made pasta sauce, just in case, we’re in a rush. Which we know is always the case. Many also use honey like it is the healthiest sweetener in the world, and thus has no limits.

Sugar comes in many different forms and names, and it most probably will be present in the majority of items  you’ve just shopped- whether it was in the healthy aisle or not.  

In this blog post, we aim to uncover everything regarding sugar, including how to spot it in the supermarket.

When you think about sugar, you’re probably thinking of “table sugar,” the type added to your coffee or tea or the sweet stuff in your cake.

But we’re here to uncover that there are several types of sugar, and they all have different effects on your body.

The scientific name for table sugar is sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide. Disaccharide means it is made of two simple sugars: glucose and fructose. 

When you eat sucrose, the glucose goes directly into your bloodstream to be used for energy. You see this as an increase in your blood sugar. Alternatively, it can be stored in your muscles or as fat. 

Before fructose can be used as energy, it passes through your liver. In your liver, it is turned into glucose and fat. It also raises blood sugar levels more gradually (less spikey) than glucose.

In one word no.

Firstly, there’s much less fructose in fresh fruit than in many processed foods and drinks. While a  can of soda could contain around 40 grams or more of fructose, an apple only has around 6 g of fructose per every 100 g of apple.

Another important factor is how the different compounds in food interact. For instance, the fructose in your soda is free sugar, so it’s absorbed into your blood very fast. But when you eat an apple, your body has to break down the cells to get to the sugar. The fiber in an apple slows your digestion, so the fructose is released much more slowly.

This brings us to the tip of considering the source of sugar. 

The source of the sugar you consume is crucial to know how it will impact your health. As we mentioned above some sugars are naturally occurring, such as in fruits, or also dairy products. Some sugars have been removed from their original sources and added to food products to improve sweetness, such as sugar in your soda.

Naturally occurring sugars can be found in fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and even nuts. Eating food that has naturally occurring sugar is alright as they contain other nutrients. For example, plant foods have high amounts of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants while dairy food contains calcium and protein. 

When consuming these foods, your body digests them slowly and the supply of energy becomes steady. They are a big part of leading a healthy lifestyle and studies even show that a high intake in vegetables, whole grains and fruits can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as some cancers, diabetes and heart diseases. 

Free sugar or added sugar, is however the refined sugar that is added to food. This is the type of sugar you want to avoid. 

Sugars are not only added to foods that are obviously sweet like sodas, ice cream or candy. Check the label of your favorite sauces or frozen foods. You wouldn’t also necessarily expect that they contain sugar.

It’s a smart idea to check the ingredient list carefully to look for hidden sugars when buying processed foods. Keep in mind that sugar can be listed by over 50 different names.

The most effective way to reduce your sugar intake is to eat mostly whole and unprocessed foods.

The biggest culprits of added sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, pastries, candy and almost all processed foods. 

Let’s be clear, not all sugar is not inherently bad for you. Some sugar is actually necessary to provide energy. The problem is added sugars. They are usually composed of a simple chemical structure of one (monosaccharide) or two (disaccharide) kinds of sugars and therefore contain zero other nutrients. 

The simple chemical structure of sugar makes it an “empty” calorie. Meaning it is digested quickly, gives you a quick burst of energy, spikes your blood glucose, but without any nutritional benefits. 

The energy boost will not last either.  It will leave you feeling drowsy, unfocused and easily distracted. Research shows that there is a clear link between refined sugar consumption and excessive daytime sleepiness. 

Frequent consumption of added sugar also increases your hunger, causing you to eat more than you’d need.