Not So Obvious Sugars: How to Read Food Labels

Reading commercial food labels can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Use the below list of common sweeteners to help you when you do your next food shop. 

Fructose
This is a naturally occurring sugar.

Sucrose
This is your everyday, white, sparkly table sugar.

Corn Syrup
Don’t let the word ‘corn’ fool you into thinking this is the same as a natural sugar. Corn Syrup is a type of syrup which is made from corn starch with added chemicals.

Dextrose
Dextrose is glucoses’ cousin which is taken from starches, I know, appetizing. Often used as a preservative, it can be found in some pretzels and frozen fries.

HFCS
Another chemical syrup made from corn which is used as a sweetener.

Once you have been reading labels for just a short while, you will get to know what ingredients to look out for.