8 Common Types of Sugar in Your Food

By Brierley Horton
April 13, 2018
Sugar is sugar is sugar—it's all the same. One is not any healthier than the other, despite what you may have heard. Here's the lowdown on eight commonly used sugars—natural and processed.
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Granulated Sugar

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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

Photo: Kelsey Hansen

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.

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