Are you a bit bewildered about the sugar information on food labels? Learn how to decipher it below.

Sugars on the Nutrition Facts panel

The Nutrition Facts panel on packaged foods shows the total grams of "Sugars" in one serving of the product. This amount includes both naturally-occurring sugars and added sugars.

Your body can't tell the difference between naturally-occurring sugars and added sugars and uses them the same way.

Did you notice that "Sugars" don't have a % Daily Value? That's because a Daily Value amount hasn't been established for sugars.

Sugars on the ingredients list

A product's ingredients list includes ingredients that contribute naturally-occurring sugars — such as raisins and milk — as well as ingredients that contribute added sugars — such as sugar, honey and high fructose corn syrup.

• Sugar-spotting tip: The names of many added sugars end in "ose." A few examples are sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, dextrose and maltose.

Choose foods made with sugar by the company they keep

A good guideline is to make sure that most of the sugar-sweetened foods you choose supply nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals and save less-nutritious sweet foods such as candy and regular soft drinks for occasional treats.

Keep in mind that a little sugar in foods can help the nutrition go down.¹ For instance, picky kids might be more likely to eat presweetened cereal or drink chocolate milk. They'll love the taste and you'll love the nutrients they get from these foods.

References:
¹ Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2005.