Not so sweet

The biggest masked predator of healthy eating is sugar. It lurks under different names in products that you might never even suspect in your wildest dreams.

The biggest masked predator of healthy eating is sugar. It lurks under different names in products that you might never even suspect in your wildest dreams.

Besides the usual suspects such as table sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey and maple syrup, there are other kinds of sugar such as lactose, maltose and fructose that are found in many products. Though fructose (natural sugar occurring in fruits) doesn’t affect blood sugar levels as easily as sucrose, it is still sugar and must be counted as a simple carbohydrate when you are trying to keep a track of it all.

Invisible sources of sugar

Chewing gum and fresh breath mints, which contain sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol

Breakfast cereals

Processed ready-to-eat-meals or soups

Pasta and cooking sauces or masala

Bottled juice and fizzy drinks.