Have you ever found yourself, when buying a drink or a snack, settling for the “no added sugar“ label and immediately felt better about your choice? Is the “no added sugar“ statement actually true? How about the significantly low calories that are in them? No sugar, low calorie… this must be safe!
Labels like this create a health halo — we think we’re making a better choice, but that’s exactly the trap. In fact, in the UK, public health experts are increasingly calling these claims misleading. Why? Because “no added sugar” can still mean high sugar content, especially from naturally sweet ingredients like fruit concentrates, dried fruit, or purees.
⚠️ These ingredients may be “natural,” but they’re often stripped of their fiber and condensed into sugar bombs. For example, fruit juice concentrate is just sugar in disguise — and your body treats it almost exactly like table sugar.
📊 A small “no added sugar” apple juice can have 20g of sugar — the same as a can of cola.
Worse? Many of these products skip front-of-pack sugar warnings, so you’d need to study the label like it’s a chemistry exam just to find out what you’re actually drinking. If it takes more than 10 seconds to find the sugar content, remember Admiral Akbar: “It’s a trap!” (Yes, I’m a geek. Go watch Star Wars.)
But wait — is sugar all bad?
Nope. Your brain literally loves sugar — or more specifically, it loves glucose, which is the main fuel your body makes from all carbohydrates (fruits, veggies, grains, even dairy).
When we talk about “sugar,” we’re usually talking about simple carbs — the ones that break down quickly and give you that fast energy hit. The most common ones are:
- Glucose – your body’s favorite fuel
- Fructose – from fruit and honey
- Sucrose – a combo of glucose + fructose (a.k.a. table sugar)
But remember this: while a whole banana and a banana smoothie might have the same amount of sugar on paper, the way your body reacts to them is completely different.
When sugar is paired with fiber, water, and nutrients (like in real fruit), your body digests it more slowly. But when it’s stripped down and repackaged into bars or juice? That’s where the problems begin.
So what’s the takeaway?
Just because sugar isn’t added doesn’t mean it’s not there — or that your body can tell the difference.
Stay curious, read labels, and don’t let marketing claims sugar-coat the truth (pun intended). I’ll soon be releasing a deeper breakdown for those of you ready to read labels like a pro. 🍓
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