Sweeteners: Where Are They Hiding?
Many people, including me, try to avoid foods with too much added sugar but it's not always easy. With over 60 different names for sugar used in processed foods, sometimes it is challenging to make healthy food decisions. It takes vigilance in reading every food label and understanding manufacturer labeling tricks.
Most people are aware food labels list each ingredient in descending order of predominance. When added sugar is a primary ingredient, food manufactures don't want you to know this so they employ some sneaky tactics. Instead of using one type of sugar in their recipe that will appear first on the label, they will use two or more different types of sweeteners so that they appear farther down on the ingredient list. They are trying to fool us!
So many of the prepared and processed foods contain way too much sugar. Be aware of these sweeteners hiding in processed and packaged foods.
If you are looking for a little more help cutting back on sugar, check out the SugarChecked app. According to Clean Eating, this app "can help you avoid four different types of added sweeteners: added sugar, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners and natural low-cal sweeteners. Use the app to enter in your dietary preferences and then scan the products you are planning to purchase. Each product will be approved or not approved based on your preferences, and the app will suggest alternatives. Over the long run, this app will help you be come savvier at navigating the store aisles and decoding the ingredients list."*
I just downloaded the SugarChecked app and am giving it a test run on my Android phone. So far, I'm not impressed. Stay tuned for an update with a review of the app.
*Clean Eating, April 2017
