How to be a label-savvy shopper

Following on from my last blog about the addictive nature of sugar and artificial sweeteners, this article is about hidden sugars. It’s easy to be aware of how much sugar you add to your coffee or how many chocolate chip cookies you eat, but the amount of sugar in savoury foods can be unexpected. When preparing homemade meals we do not tend to add sugar to savoury food, whereas the same dishes when commercially-prepared often contain added sugar. Look on the labels of processed food and ready meals for the sugar content, which can be surprisingly high.

Ketchup and marinades often contain added sugar as do some cans of vegetables and baked beans. Fruit juice may be considered as natural sugar but it is still sugar and adds to the load, and soft drinks like lemonade or cola can contain high quantities. Sugar is hidden in all sorts of unlikely places.

Food labels often note “carbohydrates” as one figure and “of which sugars” as another. The category “carbohydrates” usually refers to the total that provides energy and fibre. “Of which sugars” just refers to the part which is quickly absorbed for energy, not including fibre which is beneficial for gut health. Breakfast cereals are a good example. Breakfast cereals may claim to be healthy due to their high fibre “to keep you regular” message or low-fat advertising, but some of the carbohydrates are simple sugars that get absorbed quickly and any excess is stored as fat. Their claims of healthiness refer to the fibre and low-fat content, but that does not mean they are truly healthy in every way.

Sugar comes under many different names on food labels. Here are some of them: agave nectar – barley malt – cane sugar – caster sugar – coconut sugar – date syrup – demerara – dextrin – dextrose – fructose – galactose – glucose – glucose fructose syrup – golden syrup – granulated sugar – high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS – honey – icing sugar – malt syrup – maltodextrin – maple syrup – muscovado sugar – oligofructose syrup - pomegranate molasses – sucrose – saccharose – treacle.

Start by reading labels in your own cupboards to gain familiarity, then get into a habit of quickly checking them when you are shopping. You will soon learn which types of foods have hidden sugars lurking in them! What is useful about gaining this knowledge is that we can often reduce our sugar consumption simply by swapping from one brand to another. There are varieties of baked beans, with or without added sugar, or brands of tartare sauce containing more or less sugar. With a little understanding, it’s easy to make a difference.

It's important to note that I don’t mean switching to sugar-free or zero calorie options, but less sugar in the ingredients. In the last blog I talked about how artificial sweeteners and zero-calorie foods can still perpetuate a desire for sweetness. I also explained that reducing sugar consumption isn’t just down to willpower because of the addictive nature of sugar. Changing our taste buds and our habits is a good starting point. From getting used to reading food labels we can avoid hidden sugars and slowly get our taste buds used to expecting less sugary foods.

Another part to this whole process is learning what foods will satisfy us for longer so that we don’t crave sugar and high-carb foods. That will be the focus for next time.