Despite the ease and finesse that people with diabetes seem to keep the disease under wrap, there is no doubt that coping with it is no simple task. (Huge shout-out for all the diabetics out there!)

What’s infuriating, though, it’s when making what-seems-to-be a healthy choice ends up ruining your health instead.

You heard me.

So-called healthy options are sometimes mischievous naysayers that enamor you into believing that you’re doing great deeds to your body when you’re actually harming it.

What am I talking about?

Allegations about sugar.

Sugar-free, no added sugar, reduced in sugar, unsweetened. What do they all mean, exactly?

#1. No Added Sugar  

Synonym: unsweetened

True or False: Foods with no added sugar are sugar-free.

Ah, the number of people who have fallen for this marketing scheme (I’ll admit, I fell right in before starting my BSc degree).

The allegation “no added sugar” signifies that the food product is free of added sugar, ingredients containing added sugar, and ingredients that increase the sweetness of the food. Examples of added sugars include sucrose, fructose, glucose, syrup, brown sugar, molasses, and honey.

No sugar added food products may still contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame and stevia.

However, these products may still contain natural sugar. Therefore, people with diabetes should carefully read the nutrition facts table to assess the amount of carbs and moderate their intake accordingly.

#2. Sugar-Free

Synonym: no sugar, without sugar, contain no sugar.

This allegation is a little bit less tricky. Sugar-free means that the food product contains less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving size. Note that sugar-free products are not exempt of carb. Therefore, you’ll still need to take a look at the nutrition facts table for the amount of carb.

#3. Reduced in Sugars

Synonym: lower in sugars

Foods that are “reduced” implies that the product contains at least 25% less of the nutrient (in this case, sugars) found in the regular version.

These following allegations are not permitted:

• Low or light in sugar
• Low carbohydrate
• Carbohydrate-reduced
• Source of complex carbohydrates

The next time you go grocery shopping, don’t be duped by these two-faced health allegations.