Carbohydrates of which sugar - What is meant by this and why is it written on sugar-free products? Here comes the answer!
I'm trying to cut down on sugar and carbohydrates right now. So I'm taking a very close look at the food I buy. For example, I only buy sugar-free applesauce or whole-grain spaghetti.
But when I look at the ingredients, I'm a bit puzzled. There it says on the applesauce: 11.6 grams of carbohydrates of which sugar 11.1 grams.
And I can't figure out the spaghetti either: 28.2 grams of carbohydrates, including 1.7 grams of sugar.
Why is there sugar in pasta and why does sugar-free applesauce contain sugar and what do carbohydrates of sugar actually mean?
What does carbohydrates of it mean sugar?
Carbohydrates of it is called sugar because sugar is a carbohydrate.
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In the nutritional value table, all monosaccharides and disaccharides are summarized by the term "of which sugars". Single sugars: monosaccharides (glucose, fructose), double sugars: disaccharides (household sugars).
Carbohydrates of which sugar says nothing about whether it is added sugar or sugar that is naturally present in food. Such as fructose in apples or bananas.
The term "carbohydrates" also includes polysaccharides - multiple sugars. A typical example of polysaccharides is starch, which you can find in wheat, potatoes, rice, vegetables and much more.
You cannot tell from the nutritional value table whether it is added sugar. But you can tell from the list of ingredients. The manufacturers are obliged to indicate whether they have added sugar or a sugar substitute.
To make it reasonably easy for you to imagine, here are two small examples.
Example 1: 100 grams of applesauce
Ingredients: Apples.
Carbohydrates: 11.6 grams
- thereof sugar: 11,1 gram
This means that 100 grams of applesauce contain 11.6 grams (or 11.6%) of carbohydrates. Of these, 11.1 grams are sugar - more precisely, single and double sugars.
That is 11.1 grams of natural sugar. In other words, fructose, which is naturally present in apples and makes them sweet.
In short, my applesauce has only one list of ingredients: apples. So there is no household sugar in it.
Example 2: 100 grams of peas in a jar
Ingredients: Peas, water, sugar, table salt.
Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
- thereof 3,7 g sugar
From the list of ingredients, we can see that sugar has been added. The 3.7 grams of sugar contain one part natural sugar in the form of starch and one part added sugar.
However, the label does not tell us exactly what the distribution is - in other words, what percentage of 3.7 grams is accounted for by household sugar.
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Carbohydrates and sugar
For those who want to know exactly and in detail, here are a few lines on the subject of carbohydrates of sugar.
The group of carbohydrates consists of various sugars and starches. Sugar alcohols also belong to the carbohydrates. These are sugar substitutes.
Carbohydrates are composed of different sugars. There are three different forms of carbohydrates: single sugars (monosaccharides), double sugars (disaccharides) and multiple sugars (complex carbohydrates or polysaccharides).
Where polysaccharides are divided into digestible and indigestible dietary fiber.
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Monosaccharides are
- Glucose (dextrose in fruit or candy)
- Fructose (fruit sugar in fruit)
- Galactose (part of milk sugar)
Disaccharides are
- Sucrose (=glucose + fructose, household sugar)
- Lactose (=glucose + galactose, milk sugar in dairy products and for sweetening sweets, but also in medicines).
- Maltose (=glucose + glucose, e.g. malt sugar in sweets)
Polysaccarides are
- Starch (in potatoes, cereals, legumes and vegetables)
- Glycogen in muscle meat
- Dietary fiber, cellulose or pectin (in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes)
What terms are sugar hiding behind?
Carbohydrates of which sugar tells us, then, that there are monosaccharides and disaccharides in a food.
Single sugar consists of only one sugar molecule, such as glucose or fructose. Dual sugar is, for example, household sugar (sucrose), milk sugar (lactose) or malt sugar (maltose).
The nutritional value table does not indicate whether the product contains household sugar or natural sugar. Natural sugar in food is, for example, milk sugar in yogurts or dextrose in dried fruit.
If you want to know which sugar is in the product, you have to look at the ingredient list. Sugar is often hidden under the terms: sucrose, dextrose, fructose syrup, maltose or dextrin.
In the list of ingredients, the ingredients are listed in descending order. In the case of cola, water is in first place and sugar in second. The drink therefore contains more water than sugar.
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Why are there different types of sugar in food at the same time?
Different types of sugar you can find food, because each sugar has different property.
They have different degrees of sweetness, taste differently, are more or less soluble, and color food more or less brown. And even in cooking and baking, one sugar may behave differently from another.
What sugar is in gummy bears a big difference in chewing and consistency.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming no more than 5% of total energy from "free" sugar" per day. Free sugars are single and double sugars added by the manufacturer. So also honey, table sugar, syrup, fruit juices, fruit juice concentrates.
However, the WHO guideline makes no reference to natural sugars in fresh fruit and vegetables or milk. The guideline therefore refers purely to added sugar.
As a general rule, sweets (whether sweetened with table sugar or a sugar substitute) should only be a small part of your diet. If you eat a healthy and varied diet with plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and water, you can treat yourself to something sweet from time to time.
Our conclusion
Carbohydrates of which sugar says nothing about which sugar is in the product. Neither whether it occurs naturally in the product nor whether it has been added. You can only tell from it that it is a form of monosaccharide or disaccharide.
If you want to know what sugar it is, you have to look at the ingredient list.
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