8 Common Types of Sugar in Your Food
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Granulated Sugar
Regular sugar is relatively high on the glycemic index (60 to 65 out of 100)—so it’s metabolized faster, causing a bigger sugar high and crash.
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Brown Sugar
Molasses is what makes brown sugar brown. Use light brown sugar in baking, condiments, and glazes; use dark brown for baked beans.
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Brown Rice Syrup
Not as sweet as sugar, this syrup has butterscotch and nutty notes— as well as one of the highest glycemic index numbers at 98.
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Coconut Sugar
This sugar has no coconut flavor. At 54 on the glycemic index, it’s metabolized more slowly than other sugars, tempering that sugar high.
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Corn Syrup
Made from corn, this sweetener isn’t the same as high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS contains fructose and is sweeter than corn syrup but is no worse for you, nutritionally, than other sugars.
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Maple Syrup
With a glycemic index number of 54, maple syrup is rising in popularity. Though it boasts disease-fighting antioxidants (darker grades deliver more than lighter ones), it’s still sugar.
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Honey
One study showed that this yellow- to amber-colored sweetener has about the same antioxidant capacity as maple syrup, though it’s much higher on the glycemic index.
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Agave
This syrup comes in varying shades of amber and dissolves well in cold liquids. It’s 25% sweeter than sugar, so you can use less, and it’s the lowest on the glycemic index of all the sugars here.