The Problem With Too Much Sugar

Foods with too much sugar contribute to health problems such as:

• Poor nutrition, because foods with added sugars often take the place of healthier, more nutritious foods
• Weight gain – because it’s easy to overeat sugary foods and drinks
• Tooth decay – because sugar allows bacteria to grow on your teeth
• High triglycerides – because sugar increases the amount of this type of fat in your blood

Did you know there are over 61 different ways sugar is used on the back of a nutrition label. Below is a list of some the names for sugar we should know to help us on our diabetes free journey.

• Agave nectar
• Brown sugar
• Evaporated cane juice
• Malt syrup
• Fructose
• Maple syrup
• Cane crystals
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Molasses
• Cane sugar
• Glucose
• Raw sugar
• Corn sweetener
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Sucrose
• Corn syrup
• Honey
• Syrup
• Crystalline fructose
• Invert sugar
• Dextrose
• Maltose

Glucose. Glucose is a monosaccharide. It is widely found in a variety of foods. It’s the most common form of sugar in plants. Glucose is the type of sugar that our bodies use for fuel. No matter what forms of sugar we eat, our bodies break most of them down into glucose. Glucose pairs with other simple sugars to form the disaccharides.

Fructose. Fructose is also a monosaccharide. It’s a type of sugar that is found in fruits, honey, and some root vegetables. Fructose is the sweetest of all naturally occurring sugars. 

Galactose. This is the third common monosaccharide. It is made up of the same elements as glucose, but they are arranged differently. Galactose is mainly found as a monosaccharide in peas.‌

Sucrose. Sucrose is made of one part glucose and one part fructose joined together. Sucrose is naturally found in plants. Table sugar is sucrose. It’s usually made from sugarcane or sugar beets.