How can you tell if a food is high in added sugars?

A food can be determined to be high in added sugars if its ingredients list contains specific terms associated with sweeteners such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, or various types of syrups. These terms indicate that sugars have been added to the product beyond what occurs naturally in the food. When reading nutrition labels, the appearance of these ingredients often signals that the product contains added sugars that could contribute to excessive calorie intake and other health issues when consumed in large amounts.

Recognizing these terms is essential for making informed dietary choices, as they often appear in processed foods where sugars are used for flavor, preservation, or texture enhancement. This understanding helps individuals identify which foods may be higher in sugar than they might expect based solely on the food's overall appearance or marketing claims.