The 61 Aliases of Sugar: How Food Processors Sneak Carbs Past You
From maltodextrin and dextrose to evaporated cane juice, commercial food manufacturers use dozens of deceptive names to hide high-glycemic carbohydrates in 'healthy' foods.
Food manufacturers are legally required to list ingredients in descending order of weight. If high-fructose corn syrup is the primary ingredient, it must appear first on the label. To circumvent this, industrial food scientists divide total sugar across multiple distinct formulations — maltodextrin, dextrose, barley malt, and agave nectar — pushing each alias down the list so consumers never notice the sugar concentration.
1. The High-Glycemic Industrial Starches
Maltodextrin has a glycemic index between 110 and 185 — dramatically higher than pure white table sugar (GI: 65). It spikes blood glucose almost instantaneously.
Yet because maltodextrin is chemically a polysaccharide rather than a mono- or disaccharide, manufacturers are often permitted to classify it outside the 'Total Sugars' line, concealing its extreme glycemic impact.
2. The 61 Sneaky Aliases
Watch out for: dextrose, maltodextrin, cane crystals, dehydrated cane juice, turbinado, sorghum syrup, carob syrup, fruit juice concentrate, invert sugar, golden syrup, and tapioca starch.
If an ingredient list contains multiple words ending in '-ose' or syrups with rustic names, the product is an engineered confection designed to bypass low-carb scrutiny.
If a food product requires an encyclopedia to decode its sweetener list, do not eat it. Base your keto diet on whole meats, unrefined fats, and fresh vegetables that have no ingredient labels at all.
Never let hidden industrial sugars sabotage ketosis.
Repast plans whole-food recipes with verified single-ingredient staples, bypassing the 61 deceptive aliases food processors use.
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