The Unspoken Sugar in “Healthy” Snacks: How to Expertly Read Labels

By Megha Kiran

Whether you’re taking a brisk morning walk at Kukkarahalli Lake or heading home after a busy day at Devaraja Market, we all look for a quick “energy boost.”

Often, we reach for things that look healthy — a protein bar from a local supermarket, a “sugar-free” digestive biscuit, or a tetra-pack of fruit juice.

But as a nutritionist, I see a hidden problem.

Many of the snacks marketed to us as “fitness-friendly” are actually packed with more sugar than a piece of our famous Mysore Pak!

In Mysuru, we are lucky to have access to fresh, whole foods. However, processed “health snacks” are slowly taking over our shelves.

Watch Out for These Common Traps

1. “Fitness” Granola Bars

They promise fiber but often use liquid glucose or honey (which is still sugar!) to bind the ingredients together.

2. Flavored Yogurts

A small cup can contain 4 to 5 teaspoons of sugar — nearly your entire daily recommended limit.

3. Malt-Based Health Drinks

Many drinks we give our children are more than 50% sugar.

If “maltodextrin” or “sucrose” is listed first, it’s closer to a dessert than a health drink.

How to Read a Label in 10 Seconds

Don’t get distracted by the big green “Organic” or “Natural” stamps on the front of the pack. Flip it over and check these three things:

1. The Ingredient List – The Top 3 Rule

Ingredients are listed in order of weight.

If sugar — or one of its 60 aliases like corn syrup, dextrose, or invert sugar — appears in the first three ingredients, put it back on the shelf.

2. The “4-Gram” Math Trick

This is the easiest method I teach my clients:

4 grams of sugar = 1 level teaspoon

If a snack contains 16g of sugar per serving, visualize yourself eating 4 teaspoons of sugar.

Does that still sound “healthy”?

3. Check the Serving Size

A packet of biscuits might say “only 50 calories.”

But read carefully — that may be for one single biscuit, not the entire pack.

The Best Label Is No Label

Instead of processed bars, try these Mysuru-style healthy snack options:

Churmuri (Puffed Rice): Skip the oily sev. Add grated carrots, onions, coriander, and lime. Roasted Kadale (Chickpeas): High in protein with zero hidden sugars. Steamed Corn: Easily available across the city and naturally nutritious.

Next time you’re at the store, ignore the bold “No Added Sugar” claim on the front.

Manufacturers often use fruit juice concentrate, which sounds healthy but spikes your blood sugar just as quickly as white sugar.

Your health is in your hands — and it starts with reading the fine print.

Top 10 Hidden Names for Sugar

• High Fructose Corn Syrup

•Maltodextrin

•Fruit Juice Concentrate

•Dextrose

•Sucrose

•Invert Sugar

•Corn Syrup

•Glucose Syrup

•Agave Nectar

•Honey

While some of these may sound “natural,” they are still calorie-dense sugars that can spike insulin levels.

Reading labels isn’t about obsessing over numbers. It’s about becoming an informed consumer.

The marketing on the front of the pack is designed to sell.

The ingredient list on the back is designed to tell the truth.

By choosing snacks with fewer ingredients and less processed sugar, you’re not just eating better — you’re protecting your long-term health, energy levels, and overall well-being.

~ Megha Kiran

Nutritionist & Founder of NutriNest with Megha