Sugar is everywhere these days, and reducing your sugar intake is often the best solution. You can read how to do this in this article. But dealing with sugar responsibly also largely comes down to knowing what you're eating. That's why in this blog, we discuss 6 misconceptions about sugar. Know what you're eating, and support your health!
1: There's no such thing as 'healthy sugar'
Healthy recipes often substitute regular granulated sugar with products like honey or maple syrup, claiming they are 'healthier'. The sugars in fruit are also said to be less harmful. Unfortunately, this is nonsense: there is no distinction between sugars that are healthy and those that are not. Sugars are sugars and are all processed by our bodies in the same way.
So why is it better to eat a banana than a chocolate bar? Simple: there are foods that contain sugars but also many other nutrients that are healthy and contribute to your overall well-being. Think of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. In this case, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Products with added sugars often do not contain these types of good nutrients. The amount of sugar in fruit is also a perfectly fine amount for your body to process, provided you eat sugar-free otherwise.
2: The term 'sugar-free' doesn't mean it contains no sugar at all.
The term 'sugar-free' is found on countless products in the supermarket. However, this often does not mean that the product contains no sugar at all. There are national guidelines that indicate when the term sugar-free may be used. The guideline states that a maximum of 0.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 100 milliliters of product is allowed. In the case of the term 'low sugar', it refers to a maximum of 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters of product. The term 'no added sugars' also says little. This term means that the manufacturer is not allowed to add sugars themselves, but many products naturally contain sugar, such as dairy and fruit. These claims can therefore be very misleading.
3. The 'light' version isn't necessarily healthier
Especially with soft drinks, the term 'light' or 'diet' is often used and was enormously popular a few years ago. A product can be called 'light' if its sugar, fat, or calorie content is at least 30 percent lower than that of a comparable product. You can see that there is a lot of leeway for a manufacturer here. 30 percent less sugar does not automatically mean 30 percent fewer calories, or vice versa. Moreover, many light products contain other harmful and unhealthy ingredients and contain little to no healthy nutrients.
4. Terms like 'healthy,' 'fresh,' and 'artisanal' mean nothing.
While there are guidelines attached to the use of terms like 'light' or 'sugar-free,' there are also certain terms that manufacturers can simply put on their packaging without having to do anything for it. Think of terms like 'fresh,' 'artisanal,' and 'healthy.' These are all relative, difficult-to-measure terms, and therefore they are free to use. However, a fresh fruit juice is simply made in a factory, and not hand-pressed that morning with fresh products from the vegetable garden. Know what you're eating, and above all, use your common sense in some cases.
5. The images on a package say nothing
Do you buy fruit juice with a very large mango depicted on it, with the idea that it must be pure mango juice? Unfortunately: the images on the packaging do not automatically reflect the ingredient that is most present in the product. For example, the ingredients of 'mango juice' from a well-known juice manufacturer look like this: fruit juice from concentrate (apple, orange 38%, mango 10%, white grape, lemon). Only 10 percent of the product consists of mango, while that mango is depicted life-size on the carton. So don't fall for this easily.
6. All claims are marketing tactics
Regarding the texts and claims on a product's packaging, you can assume that all these claims are intended to convince you to buy the product. These are texts that have been carefully and cleverly devised by a marketing team. These texts are not intended to inform you as a customer in a transparent manner. For that, you need to look at the fine print, or rather, the label.
Reading labels
However, those labels can sometimes be difficult to decipher, so we're happy to share some tips.
- Ingredients are listed in order from the largest to the smallest quantity present.
- In the ingredients list, you always need to look for terms used for sugar. Anything ending in -ose (fructose, lactose, dextrose) refers to sugar, as does anything ending in -siroop (syrup). The further up these ingredients are on the list, the more there is in the product.
- The amount of sugar is listed under the carbohydrates section, often indicated as 'of which sugars'. Here you can see how many grams of the total carbohydrates consist of sugars.
- Want to calculate how many sugar cubes are in a product? One sugar cube is equivalent to four grams of sugar.
