A couple +1s ago (right before taking out the carbage yesterday), we had a brief chat about the links between sugar consumption and depression, highlighting the fact that we went from consuming essentially NO sugar 500 years ago to consuming 150 POUNDS every year.
That, my friends, is crazy. (Literally and figuratively.)
We ended that discussion with me asking you: “How much sugar are YOU consuming these days?”
Then I said: “Note: It’s ubiquitous and probably a LOT more than you think…”
I realized that most of us probably think we’re eating pretty well and that it’s the other guy or gal who’s eating that crazy amount of sugar.
Maybe.
But maybe we’re eating more sugar than we think.
It adds up pretty quickly and if you’re eating a fair amount of processed food, it’s in pretty much all of that.
Today we’re going to take a quick look at all the secret identities sugar has collected to try to hide in plain site. Then we’ll do some math in our next +1.
But…
First: How about a Tom Rath gem from Eat Move Sleep? I found this while looking for a Note with all the names for sugar. It’s worth sharing.
Tom tells us: “Sugar is a toxin. It fuels diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. At the current dose we consume, more than 150 pounds per person every year, sugar and its derivatives kill more people than cocaine, heroin, or any other controlled substance around.
One report aptly describes sugar as ‘candy for cancer cells.’ It accelerates aging and inflammation in the body and subsequently fuels tumor growth. It is now clear that if you lower your sugar intake, you reduce your odds of developing cancer.”
Yowsers.
Now, for sugar’s aliases.
Did you know that, according to UCSF’s Sugar Science site, sugar has at least 61 names? Yep.
Experience Life magazine shares all 61 of them in this post.
Let’s take a quick look, shall we?
1. Agave nectar
2. Barbados sugar
3. Barley malt
4. Barley malt syrup
5. Beet sugar
6. Brown sugar
7. Buttered syrup
8. Cane juice
9. Cane juice crystals
10. Cane sugar
11. Caramel
12. Carob syrup
13. Castor sugar
14. Coconut palm sugar
15. Coconut sugar
16. Confectioner’s sugar
17. Corn sweetener
18. Corn syrup
19. Corn syrup solids
20. Date sugar
21. Dehydrated cane juice
22. Demerara sugar
23. Dextrin
24. Dextrose
25. Evaporated cane juice
26. Free-flowing brown sugars
27. Fructose
28. Fruit juice
29. Fruit juice concentrate
30. Glucose
31. Glucose solids
32. Golden sugar
33. Golden syrup
34. Grape sugar
35. HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup)
36. Honey
37. Icing sugar
38. Invert sugar
39. Malt syrup
40. Maltodextrin
41. Maltol
42. Maltose
43. Mannose
44. Maple syrup
45. Molasses
46. Muscovado
47. Palm sugar
48. Panocha
49. Powdered sugar
50. Raw sugar
51. Refiner’s syrup
52. Rice syrup
53. Saccharose
54. Sorghum syrup
55. Sucrose
56. Sugar (granulated)
57. Sweet sorghum
58. Syrup
59. Treacle
60. Turbinado sugar
61. Yellow sugar
Today’s +1.
If you feel so inspired, how about you shine a brighter spotlight on the ingredient labels of your favorite foods and see how many of those sugar-aliases might be sneaking in?
Remember: Sugar. It DOESN’T do a mind or body (or soul!) good.
So let’s -1 it for the +1 win.
When? As always. TODAY.
Unlock this Heroic +1 (and over 1,000 more)!
Create your account to get more wisdom in less time. Personal development made simple so you can flourish in energy, work, and love. Today.
