Sugars are a type of carbohydrate that occurs naturally in foods such as milk and fruits. Added sugars are those that do not occur naturally in a food but are added during processing or preparation. Foods containing added sugars provide calories but may have few vitamins and minerals. Frequently consumed foods that have added sugars include soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, ice cream, and candy. Consuming too many of these foods may cause weight gain or prevent you from eating more nutritious foods.

Because added sugars are not always called "sugar," it can be difficult to identify them in foods. The nutrition facts on food labels list the total amount of sugar in the food, not just the added sugar. The best way to know the amount of added sugar is to look at the ingredients list. The following is a list of names for added sugars. If one of these names appears first or second in the ingredients list, the food is probably high in added sugar.

Common names for sugars

• Brown sugar
• Corn syrup
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Turbinado sugar
• Table sugar

Other names for sugars include:

• Corn sweetener
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Glucose
• Invert sugar
• Lactose
• Maltose
• Malt syrup
• Sucrose