Acesulfame potassium is a zero-calorie sweetener that is added to many sugar-free…
Menu
Sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose
What is it:
Sucrose is the most common type of table sugar that is made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. While it is naturally occurring in many fruits and vegetables, when it is included on a food label it is used as an added sugar that is normally processed from sugar cane or sugar beets. Either plant goes through an extraction and refining process to produce sucrose as an end product. Sucrose is used in many packaged goods, sweetened drinks, and more.
Rating:
Consuming high amounts of sugar in any form has been linked to many adverse health effects such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Additionally, sugarcane production is a very water-intensive crop that also has resulted in deforestation and loss of biodiversity in many regions of the world, requires the significant use of fossil fuels, and contributes to pollution. The use of harmful herbicides like glyphosate may be used during sugarcane production as a ripener. Sucrose derived from sugar beet has a lower impact on the environment, but it is not possible to identify which source sucrose came from in commercial goods.
Resources:
- General information on sucrose
- Sugar consumption impact on metabolic health and association with chronic disease
- The environmental impact of cane sugar production
- WWF overview of sugarcane production on the environment
- Herbicides as sugarcane ripeners
- The environmental impact of sugar beet production
How we rate ingredients
Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:
Clean
It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.
Caution
It goes into one or more of the below categories
- It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
- It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)
We Avoid
It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)
Top Ingredients To Avoid
Almond extract is a concentrated liquid flavoring derived from almonds, commonly used…
Recent Articles
Not all flavors, or oils are created equal!
The Food Showdown: Popcorners flavors
Ingredient Rating: Canola oil – is it bad for you?
Clean Consuming: Nourishment for your
Is It Clean 2023 Recap + Our top 3 Tips for a Healthier 2024
We have accomplished so much in just 1 year since our launch in March of 2023! We now have 10,000
Food Showdown: Nacho Chips
The Nacho Chip Food Showdown, is Tapioca Starch safe in food? and a must-see documentary on America’s food system.