That’s why it’s important to make a habit of reading the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels—to see how much added sugar is in a serving as well as what that amount represents in terms of the recommended percentage of the daily value for added sugars.
“Seeing the total grams of added sugar is important but I don’t recommend people keep a calculator handy and add it up throughout the day,” says Caroline Passerrello, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at the University of Pittsburgh. It’s a good rule of thumb to stick with foods where added sugars comprise 10 percent or less of the daily value for added sugars, she says. If the label indicates the food has 5 percent or less of the daily value, that means it’s a low source of added sugars; 20 percent or higher means it’s high.
The ingredients list on a packaged food label will also reveal what types of added sugar it includes: agave nectar, honey, molasses, evaporated cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, corn sweetener, and anything ending with –ose (as in: dextrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, or sucrose) and/or syrup (as in: maple syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, or malt syrup).
Yet some added sugars actually have modest health benefits, which is another reason it’s worth evaluating the type of sugar listed on the label. Among added sugars, three have the most noteworthy health benefits.
Honey
In addition to sweetness, honey offers more minerals (such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc) and vitamins (including traces vitamin C and niacin) than regular white sugar.