How to Identify and Avoid Added Sugars

There are plenty of sweets and drinks obviously packed with waaay too much sugar: Sodas, traditional cookies and candies, pretty much anything sweet these days has TONS of added sugar. But unfortunately it is also common to see sugar added to cereals, pastas, and even bread! Why? Because sugar is addictive, sweetness sells, and it’s easy to hide! Thankfully the ChipMonk Detectives are on the case! Read on to learn more about added sugar and how to identify and avoid it. 

Why Added Sugars are Bad for Us All

Eating too much sugar puts us at risk for weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and even dementia! But why does added sugar cause so many problems? Because it is digested immediately and rapidly absorbed, causing an unnatural spike in your blood sugar levels. This puts pressure on your pancreas to pump out more insulin and sends your entire digestive system into an unhealthy imbalance. 

Sugar: A Foe with Many Names

Unfortunately, sugar comes in many disguises, but with a careful inspection of your ingredients label, you can spot the hidden sugar! Keep your eyes peeled for anything ending in ‘-ose’ or for any of these other sugar aliases:

The Many Names of Added Sugar

• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Lactose 
• Malt syrup
• Maltose
• Maple Syrup
• Honey
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Sucrose
• Glucose
• Agave Nectar
• Brown Sugar
• Cane crystals
• Cane sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Crystalline fructose
• Fructose
• Dextrose
• Evaporated cane juice

That’s a lot of ways to say ‘added sugar’! Very sneaky, but if we always remember to check the label, we can all remember to eat mindfully. And you don’t need added sugar to enjoy a delicious sweet treat. Did you know that ChipMonk Cookies and Keto Bites have no added sugar and only 1-4 net carbs per cookie! We also invented our very own low calorie, keto-friendly sugar & sweetener replacement called AlluMonk: a careful blend of all natural allulose and monk fruit with zero carbs and only 1/10th the calories of traditional sugar! If you’d like to learn more about healthy sugar alternatives, check this out.

Thanks for dropping by the ChipMonk Baking Blog. While you're here, be sure to check out ChipMonk Baking’s HUGE variety of soft-baked keto cookies, recipes, and Sweetener. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for the latest recipes, deals, and updates from the ChipMonks. You can also join our Text VIP program by texting CHIPMONK to (833) 645-0998.