It was a wrong decision after all! 0 sugar 0 calories 0 sucrose You lied to me so hard!

As people pay more and more attention to health and weight, advertisements promoting "0 sugar", "0 calories" and "0 sucrose" have quickly attracted attention.

Many friends associate these words with health, deliciousness and zero burden. When buying snacks, they will give priority to "0 sugar, 0 calories" foods, pursuing a healthy, delicious and non-fat food.

But does “0 sugar”, “0 calories” and “0 sucrose” really mean that they are sugar-free and won’t make you fat if you eat them?

First, let us accurately distinguish these words from the national standards: According to the "General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Pre-packaged Foods" issued by the National Health Commission (NHC), as long as certain conditions are met, merchants can label their products as "zero series" products.

🍧“0 sugar” or “sugar-free”: The sugar content in every 100 grams or 100 milliliters of food does not exceed 0.5 grams.

🍧“Zero calorie”: refers to food with an energy content of less than 17 kilojoules per 100 grams.

It can be seen from the national standard that "0 sugar" and "0 calories" are indeed very strict, but they do not mean that there is no calories at all . "0 sucrose" is really a pure commercial trap, which makes consumers mistakenly believe that it is sugar-free, but the actual situation may not be the case. In order to ensure the taste of their products, the merchants may not add sucrose, but may use fructose or other sweeteners . Before shopping, cautious consumers need to carefully review the product ingredient list to avoid being deceived by the seemingly refreshing "0 sucrose" label.

01

Are “0 sugar” foods or drinks really not sweet?

Actually, it is not. If Coke is not sweet anymore, what is the difference between it and taking medicine soup?

In fact, "0 sugar" foods or drinks are advertised as sugar-free, but this does not mean that they are necessarily not sweet. The key is that although these products may not have traditional sugars such as sucrose, they may very well contain other alternative sweeteners.

Looking back at snacks from 10 or even 20 years ago , such as popsicles, popcorn, bubble gum and other foods, we find that the additives at that time were mainly saccharin , which became the main sweetener of that era. Excessive consumption of saccharin may lead to a bitter sweetness, which became a unique symbol of the snack market at that time, evoking people's memories of the unique flavor of that era.

The food industry is developing rapidly, and new sweeteners and technologies are constantly emerging. Common modern sugar substitutes include artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, and sugar alcohols. These sweeteners are cheap, highly sweet, and have a wide range of uses. They can often be seen in the ingredient list of 0-sugar, 0-calorie sweet drinks.

02

Is it true that consuming “0 sugar” foods or drinks will not make you fat?

Although "0 sugar" foods or drinks are often promoted as low-calorie or calorie-free options, it does not mean that excessive consumption will not lead to weight gain . Take "0 sugar" biscuits as an example. Although they have a low sugar content, they have a higher fat content in order to maintain a balance in taste and flavor . This means that although the sugar content is relatively low, the total calories may still be high, and excessive consumption may have an impact on weight. Therefore, when pursuing healthy eating habits, it is still necessary to consider the overall nutritional content of the food, rather than just focusing on its sugar content.

Secondly, some studies have shown that long-term intake of artificial sweeteners may have an impact on appetite and food intake, thereby causing changes in overall eating habits and ultimately affecting body weight. Artificial sweeteners may interact with taste and brain signals to interfere with the taste perception of food. This may cause people to become more tolerant to sweetness and seek higher-calorie, sweeter foods to satisfy their taste needs. This desire may lead to changes in other dietary choices, making people more inclined to choose high-calorie foods, which may cause weight gain.

In general, as consumers, we can have a certain degree of trust in the "0 sugar" and "0 calories" advertised by merchants, but we need to realize that this does not mean that these products are completely calorie-free or have no other ingredients. It is crucial to pay more attention to the ingredient list and nutritional information of the product . This attention can not only meet the nutritional needs of individuals, but also avoid over-reliance on a certain type of food and maintain a diverse and balanced diet.

In conclusion, I hope that while we pursue the deliciousness of snacks and drinks, we can also consume rationally and eat scientifically to truly achieve a perfect balance between health and deliciousness. Let us jointly advocate a scientific and healthy lifestyle to bring more positive energy to the body.

References:

[1] Li Jian. What is the difference between “0 sugar”, “0 sucrose” and “sugar substitute”[N]. China Consumer News, 2023-08-24(004).

[2] Li Ying. “Zero Additive” on food labels may become a banned term in advertising[J]. China Quality Tour, 2021, (05): 50-51.

[3] Wu Peng, Zhang Chengyun, Zhu Xuli, et al. Effects of artificial sweeteners on human body and the current status of domestic and international standards [J/OL]. Food Science, 1-16 [2024-01-21]

[4] Wang Yang, Jiang Shuya, Xiao Xudong. Analysis of the detected contents and exceeding standards of benzoic acid, sorbic acid and saccharin sodium in beverages sold in a certain city[J]. Food Safety Guide, 2022, (09): 103-107.

[5] Huang Yongying, Li Guokun, Chen Xiaoyi. Physical and chemical properties of compound sugar substitutes and preparation of low GI biscuits[J]. Modern Food Science and Technology, 2023, 39(11): 111-117.

Author: Xiaojuan is not a volume

Master of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology