Many brands and companies try to sneak sugar into their foods by using names that sound plant-like and thereby harmless. Other companies use longer scientific names that are easy to overlook simply because they look and sound too complicated to decipher. Don’t be fooled. When it comes to reading food labels, brush up on these common terms used for added sugar so you know which foods to avoid.
Artificial Sweeteners
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame-K
- Equal
- Nutra-Sweet
- Saccharin
- Splenda
- Stevia
- Sucralose
- Sweetleaf
- Sweet-n-Low
- Stevia
- Treacle
Common Names for Sugar
- Beet Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Cane Sugar
- Confectioner’s Sugar
- Date Syrup
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
- Malt Syrup
- Raw Sugar
- Refiner’s Syrup
- Rice Syrup
- Sugar
- Syrup
Natural Names for Sugar
- Agave Nectar
- Cane Juice and/or Evaporated Cane Juice
- Coconut Nectar
- Coconut Sugar
- Date Sugar
- Fruit Juice
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Molasses
- Monk Fruit and/or Monk Fruit Extract
- Rice Malt and/or Rice Malt Extract
- Sweet Sorghum
- Treacle
*To see a complete list of sneaky sugar names including scientific names for sugar and sugar alcohols, refer to this Whole30 approved PDF resource.
US Wellness carries a wide variety of sugar free snacks, raw nuts, and meats from sustainably raised sources.
4 Tips for Fighting Sugar Cravings
Sugar promotes overconsumption from the pleasure and reward systems in the brain, so unfortunately, this sweet treat can potentially create an unhealthy psychological relationship with the food you eat and create hard-to-break habits. These unhealthy habits can lead to more overconsumption and eventual sugar addiction. Here are four things you can do to crush those sweet cravings.
#1 Catch Some Quality ZZZ’s
When you are tired, your body craves simple carbohydrates like candy, chips and cookies because your body knows it can quickly break down these foods and convert them into quick energy. Getting plenty of zzz’s each night can help keep your sugar cravings at bay.
#2 Do Something
The good thing about cravings is they only last 3-5 minutes, so find something to do for 3-5 minutes until the craving subsides. Go for a walk, call a friend or brush your teeth with minty toothpaste. The taste of mint has been known to cancel cravings!
#3 Drink Water
Many times dehydration is masked as hunger, so be sure to stay hydrated to avoid sugar cravings throughout the day. Remember to drink half of your body weight in ounces every day and eight additional ounces for every 30 minutes you sweat.
#4 Grab a Piece of Fruit
If your sweet tooth is absolutely insatiable, find your favorite piece of fruit and elevate it. Try a bowl of fresh berries with organic strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries topped with a sprinkle of cocoa nibbs or slice up an apple and saute it with a spoonful of coconut oil and a dash or two of cinnamon. Looking for an added crunch? Toss in some chopped nuts. Yum!
Although sugar goes by many names, don’t let it fool you. Take the time to familiarize yourself with all of the tricky terms used for sugar and kick those sugar cravings to the curb with these four tips.
How do you fight sugar cravings? Tell us in the comments below or tag us @uswellnessmeats
Read more from Ashley Martens on our Discover Blog.
