"No sugar added".. what does it mean?

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jordanlell
jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What I want to know is, does that mean there are probably sugar substitutes added? For instance, there's a frozen yogurt place that I like for when I want a treat, and they have a couple that are labeled "no sugar added" and also have about 30 cals less per serving. I was thinking of trying it, but if it means that sugar substitutes were used I'd rather just stick with the sugary one.

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  • Sydney0710
    Sydney0710 Posts: 61 Member
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    No added sugars -- as in, there are the sugars that naturally-occur in some of the ingredients (e.g. fruits, veggies), but nothing else was added. Like a "no sugar added" jam has only the natural fruit sugars.
  • Sydney0710
    Sydney0710 Posts: 61 Member
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    Hmm, I don't know if it means there are added artificial sweeteners. I lean towards saying no, but maybe someone else knows for sure.
  • lfondots
    lfondots Posts: 216 Member
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    Ok. I know I have trouble doing this sometimes but why not ask? My kids bust on me for changing the menu when I go out but hey, I sure feel better after doing it. Good luck in finding out. I find that when shopping you need to check the lables because they will have artificial sweetners and if they bother you, better asking then not.
  • OceansForever
    OceansForever Posts: 221 Member
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    I don't trust the "no sugar added" labels anymore.

    I thought I bought something healthy and it turned out it contained sweeteners.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    Legally (and that's all they care about) it means they didn't ADD any SUGAR. They can add artificial sweetners till the cows come home, it's not sugar. And there can be naturally occurring sugar, as long as they didn't ADD it separately.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
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    At the Fro Yo in STL...no sugar added does not mean sugar subs....its just no sugar. I know this b/c I can taste sugar subs a mile away but not in these.
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
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    Be a label reader.. and no the the front side with the pretty print. The back!
  • slo02ee
    slo02ee Posts: 29
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    It only means there is no sugar (corn syrup, cane sugar, etc) ADDed to the food. Any naturally occurring sweetener doesn't count. It will almost definitely have added artificial sweeteners.
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Just ask them what they put in it. That's what I did at Orange Julius last night when I wanted to get a smoothie but didn't want a ton of calories/sugar with it. If they add artificial sweetener to it, ask them not to if it's something that's not already mixed in.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    It depends on the product. Most of the time, natural/organic products are simply less sweet because they do not contain added sugar. But, sometimes they'll add stevia. Other times conventional brand products will use artificial sweeteners. Your best bet is to just ask.

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