The unsweet, granulated truth is that sugar is added to many processed foods, and manufacturers often use several different types, by several different names, so they can hide the real amount.

If you think about it, it’s no wonder we crave sugar so often (and intensely), as it’s everywhere - and avoiding it is no easy task, either.

Let’s sprinkle some sweetness into what’s really in a name, and uncover a number of healthier natural sweeteners and sugar alternatives.

What causes sugar cravings?

Reportedly up to 97% of women and 68% of men say they experience some sort of food craving, including cravings for sugar.

Your body may experience a craving for the sweet stuff (sometimes rather intensely) because it needs sugar to function optimally and for an energy boost. Sugar cravings can be just as reward-based, habitual, or even psychological as much as they are physical.

Common reasons for craving are:

• Poor sleep

• Response to high stress

• Dehydration

• Skipping meals and unbalanced diet - including too little carbohydrate (and sugar) intake

• Nutrient deficiency, including low iron levels

• Using too many artificial sweeteners

• Always using sugar/sweet food as a reward

• Depression and depressed mood

60+ other nicknames for the sweet stuff!

Look for ingredients listed on packaged foods ending in -ose and ingredients or foods labeled as ‘syrup’ -- both are just code for SUGAR! As adapted from Experience Life online magazine, here are 60+ names for sugar:

1. Agave nectar

2. Barbados sugar

3. Barley malt

4. Barley malt syrup

5. Beet sugar

6. Brown sugar

7. Buttered syrup

8. Cane juice

9. Cane juice crystals

10. Cane sugar

11. Caramel

12. Carob syrup

13. Castor sugar

14. Coconut palm sugar

15. Coconut sugar

16. Confectioner’s sugar

17. Corn sweetener

18. Corn syrup

19. Corn syrup solids

20. Date sugar

21. Dehydrated cane juice

22. Demerara sugar

23. Dextrin

24. Dextrose

25. Evaporated cane juice

26. Free-flowing brown sugars

27. Fructose

28. Fruit juice

29. Fruit juice concentrate

30. Glucose

31. Glucose solids

32. Golden sugar

33. Golden syrup

34. Grape sugar

35. HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup)

36. Honey

37. Icing sugar

38. Invert sugar

39. Malt syrup

40. Maltodextrin

41. Maltol

42. Maltose

43. Mannose

44. Maple syrup

45. Molasses

46. Muscovado

47. Palm sugar

48. Panocha

49. Powdered sugar

50. Raw sugar

51. Refiner’s syrup

52. Rice syrup

53. Saccharose

54. Sorghum syrup

55. Sucrose

56. Sugar (granulated)

57. Sweet sorghum

58. Syrup

59. Treacle

60. Turbinado sugar

61. Yellow sugar

Keep it sweet, but make it natural

There's no need to avoid naturally-occurring sugars found in whole foods as fruit and veggies do contain small amounts of carbohydrate (sugar). But, they also contain beneficial nutrients and other health-promoting compounds like fiber and antioxidants.

However, the negative effects of sugar consumption (that we’re made abundantly aware of in the media) are due to the staggering amount of added sugar that is present in the standard Western diet.

At the most basic level, the most effective way to reduce your overall sugar intake is to eat a diet rich in whole and unprocessed foods. However, if you do buy packaged foods, be aware of all those different names that sugar goes by! Remember, just because it’s a natural sugar doesn’t mean it’s healthy. It’s still sugar.

Keeping that in mind, be a savvier shopper, and don’t be swayed by claims of “all natural,” “unrefined,” or “organic” on sweetener packages. While these claims may even be true, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a healthier product, has fewer grams of sugar, fewer calories, or confers any health benefit. Always beware the “health halo,” especially when it comes to packaged foods.

But, when you are going to make a purchase of a sweetener or need to use one in a recipe, here are your best bets:

1. Xylitol (from birch sugar)

2. Erythritol

3. Honey, raw/unrefined

4. Pure maple syrup

5. Stevia (my top choice because it’s calorie-free!)

6. Coconut (palm) sugar

7. Medjool dates/date sugar

8. Monk fruit

9. Blackstrap molasses

10. Yacon

Take a look through your cupboards and see if you have any of the sneaky sugars I’ve listed. Then, consider replacing them with one of the alternatives that won’t cause such a negative impact to your health, and may help with those pesky sugar cravings too!