Who Knew There Could Be So Many Names for Sugar?

I did not know until I had a great visit with a nurse practitioner many years ago who specializes in treating those living with type 2 diabetes. She asked me the simple question how many names do you know for sugar? I told her I knew 12. Then she asked me the names of the sugar I knew.

She applauded me and said you know more than the average person. I only knew that many because of a science class years ago. We learned 20 different names, but 12 stuck with me. She shared with me that she asks each patient the same question so that she can get an idea of how many people know about hidden sugar.

The many names of sugar

Now I knew there were 20, but I sure did not know there were over 50. She listed them by name, and I could not believe she knew all of the names. I want to unmask all the names so you can understand what you get when shopping and reading food labels. Below is a list of all the names I could find. Make a copy, shrink it, and let's all put it in our purses or wallets, so we don't stay in the dark. When things say sugar-free, they most likely have some of the listed sugars below.

1. Agave nectar
2. Blackstarp molasses
3. Barbados sugar
4. Barley malt
5. Beet sugar
6. Brown sugar
7. Buttered syrup
8. Cane juice crystals
9. Cane sugar
10. Caramel
11. Corn syrup
12. Corn syrup solids
13. Confectioner's sugar
14. Carob syrup
15. Castor sugar
16. Date sugar
17. Demerara sugar
18. Dextrose
19. Dextran
20. Dehydrated cane juice
21. Diastatic malt
22. Diatase
23. Ethyl maltol
24. Evaporated cane juice
25. Free-flowing brown sugars
26. Fructose
27. Fruit juice
28. Fruit juice concentrate
29. Galactose
30. Glucose
31. Glucose solids
32. Golden sugar
33. Golden syrup
34. Grape sugar
35. High-fructose corn syrup
36. Honey
37. Icing sugar
38. Invert sugar (this is the sugar bakers prefer to use)
39. Lactose
40. Locust bean gum
41. Maltodextrin
42. Mannose
43. Maltose
44. Malt syrup
45. Maple syrup
46. Molasses
47. Muscovado
48. Powdered sugar
49. Plum sugar
50. Panocha
51. Raw Sugar
52. Refiner's syrup
53. Rice syrup
54. Saccharose
55. Sorbitol
56. Sorghum syrup
57. Sucrose
58. Sugar
59. Treacle
60. Turbinado sugar
61. Xanthan gum
62. Yellow sugar

That's many more than I thought I would find!! Some of these are derived from cane sugar; some are derived from fruit. Others are derived from corn. Some are sweeteners and some end in "-ose" (those are chemical names for sugars).

All of these terms for sugar can really fool you if you don't stay on the lookout. To this day, I feel like some have been added to the list. It's growing and probably still will. Just remember this, sugar-free does not always mean there is no sugar.