8 Hidden Signs You’re Eating Way Too Much Sugar (Without Even Realizing It)

Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, sugar in one form or another is added to almost all packaged foods you buy. It is likely that you consume more sugar—perhaps even too much—without even realizing it. The question then becomes: how much sugar is excessive?

Refined sugar and its substitutes are a true scourge to human existence, causing all sorts of diseases and discomforts. A packaged food might not explicitly list “sugar” in its ingredients, but it can hide under other names.

Common Hidden Names for Sugar:

• Corn syrup or sweetener

• Dextrin

• Dextrose

• Diglycerides

• Disaccharides

• Evaporated cane juice

• Fructose

• Glucose

• High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

• Hydrolyzed starch

• Malt syrup

• Maltodextrin

• Maltose

• Rice syrup

• Sorbitol

• Sucrose

Faced with all these sources of sugar, how do you determine the line not to cross? If you experience the following symptoms, it is time to significantly reduce your sweet intake:

Signs You Are Consuming Too Much Sugar

1. Sugar Addiction

Sugar is addictive, much like cocaine, and its effects are similar. It stimulates the production of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. Often, without even thinking about it, we can be tempted by sweets and simple carbohydrates to get our “fix.” As with other addictions, our body develops a tolerance to sugar, meaning the more we consume, the more we crave it, even when we aren’t hungry.