Sweeteners and Hidden Sugars
By Lindsay // The Ketoneer
Food companies are creative. They have found many ways to label sugar so that it is not obvious. Just because the word “sugar” is not on the label, doesn’t mean it is sugar-free. When you begin keto and start looking closer at food labels, you may feel angry. I did. I felt so many things that should not even have sugar were loaded with it. There are so many different names for sugar. I want to help you out and list 61 different names here. I am sure there are more. Big food is constantly coming up with new ones. In addition to this list, the biggest thing that will help you is eating real whole food. Shop the outer aisles of the grocery store. Remember…. meat, eggs, and coniferous veggies will never fail you. Avoid anything containing the names on this list as much as possible.
Hidden Sugar Names:
Agave nectar
Barbados sugar
Barley malt
Barley malt syrup
Beet sugar
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane juice
Cane juice crystals
Cane sugar
Caramel
Carob syrup
Castor sugar
Coconut palm sugar
Coconut sugar
Confectioner’s sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Corn syrup solids
Date sugar
Dehydrated cane juice
Demerara sugar
Dextrin
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Free-flowing brown sugars
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup)
Honey
Icing sugar
Invert sugar
Malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltol
Maltose
Mannose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Muscovado
Palm sugar
Panocha
Powdered sugar
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Rice syrup
Saccharose
Sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Sugar (granulated)
Sweet sorghum
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar
Credit – I found this list here:
Now, you are probably thinking, “What sweeteners can I have?” We have become so addicted to sweets that many of us feel we can’t live without something sweet in our mouths every second of every day. Trust me….been there. I would like to tell you to avoid sweets all together. But, I know you all would want to punch me for speaking such nonsense. I went a couple of months in the beginning of my keto journey and ate nothing sweet. It is possible. You will not die. I felt it helped me get over my carb addiction and get used to eating real food. But now, I do confess, I start most days with a small packet of Sweet Leaf stevia in my coffee. I also have keto treats every now and then. However, I do try to limit sweeteners in general. I think everyone should. Also, if you are on keto specifically for weight loss and become stalled, I hate to tell you, but you may need to cut back on the sweeteners and keto treats. Everyone is different and some may be able to tolerate sweeteners more than others. Sweeteners can also make you crave sugar and carbs more. Sometimes cold turkey is best. It really depends on your personality. Some people need a little bit of sweetness to make this lifestyle sustainable. Some people become triggered and sugar substitutes lead to falling off the wagon and consuming more actual sugar. The only sweeteners I am going to recommend you purchase or use on keto are Stevia, Erythritol, or Monk Fruit. All three are natural and derived from plants. Stevia is the safest and best option in my opinion. You will find many different artificial and natural sweetener names in “sugar-free” products. I made a list of of some you may see. They are not all created equal. If they are not the three I listed above, I do not recommend you consume them unless it is on very rare occasions. Sucralose (Splenda) for example is basically just chlorinated sugar. Consuming too much can also kill your gut bacteria. Aspartame and Saccharin are offenders of this as well and can also possibly worsen insulin resistance. And as I mentioned, erythritol in moderation is fine. But be careful with this one too. If you eat a large amount, it can cause bloating and digestive issues (ie diarrhea). However, erythritol is a lesser offender compared to other sugar alcohols (such as Maltitol and Sorbitol). Glycerol is also fine to consume but it is not one I have commonly found in products. For stevia, I recommend Sweet Leaf brand packets because they do not contain dextrose or maltodextrin. Many companies add dextrose or maltodextrin to their sweeteners because it is cheaper and makes the product sweeter. It completely defeats the purpose of a sugar substitute and it infuriates me when I see it. Sweet Leaf contains only inulin and stevia. Inulin is a prebiotic fiber that is beneficial to gut bacteria. Sweet Leaf also makes some great liquid stevia versions. Some people recommend xylitol, but I cannot say I have ever purchased or made food with xylitol. I do consume it in the form of sugar free gum, which I think is fine on occasion.
You also may have heard that you can subtract sugar alcohols from your net carbs as they do not affect blood sugar levels. While this is mostly true, I will recommend you do this only if the sugar alcohol in the ingredients is erythritol. Other sugar alcohols can still spike blood sugar/insulin.
Here is the list of sugar substitutes. I marked the ones that are okay to consume on keto (in my opinion) with an asterick*.
Sugar Substitutes:
sugar alcohols
Erythritol*
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH)
Isomalt
Lactitol
Maltitol
Mannitol
Sorbitol
Xylitol*
Other sweeteners
Acesulfame Potassium
Aspartame
Glycerol/Glycerin*
Saccharin
Stevia*
Sucralose (Splenda)
Monk fruit*