Ingredients By Any Other Name

 

You've probably noticed, especially if you have food allergies that sometimes one ingredient can be known by many different names. Which can make it challenging when it comes to reading food labels. 

So I thought I would break down some of the more common ingredients you might find on your food labels. The more we know about the foods we eat (and their ingredients) the better we are at avoiding any possible exposure to an ingredient we could have an allergy to.  

First on the list is Sugar, and there are many different types. Some come from plants, fruits, grains and even dairy. So depending if you have a allergy or sensitivity to one of these you maybe able to have some of these but no others.  I've listed many of them below:

Glucose (mainly comes from plants)
Fructose (from fruit, some root veggies and honey), Crystalline fructose
Sucrose (from sugar cane and sugar beets)
Lactose (mainly from dairy products)
Maltose (from grains)
Dextrose (from corn or wheat)
Maltodextrin (from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat)
Syrup

Brown sugar, Invert sugar
Cane sugar, Cane crystals, Evaporated cane juice
Raw sugar
Molasses
Malt syrup, Barley malt
Maple syrup
Fruit juice concentrate
Corn sweetener, High-fructose corn syrup, Corn syrup
Honey
Agave nectar, Brown rice syrup

Avoid ingredients ending in "ose" "syrup" or "sugar".

Items and ingredients that often contain added sugars include things like, Store bought salt, Seasonings, Flavourings, Condiments, Beverages, Processed and pre-made foods.

Next up is Gluten, it can also be known as Triticum vulgare, Triticale, Hordeum vulgare, Secale cereale (rye), or Triticum spelta (spelt).

Ingredients that contain gluten include:

Wheat protein/hydrolyzed wheat protein
Wheat starch/hydrolyzed wheat starch
Wheat flour/bread flour/bleached flour

Wheat or barley grass (cross-contaminated)

Wheat germ oil or extract
Bulgur

Farina

Couscous
Malt: Made from barley
Most pasta
Seitan: Made from wheat gluten.

Ingredients that may/might contain gluten:

Vegetable protein/hydrolyzed vegetable protein, Vegetable starch
Modified starch/modified food starch
Natural flavour/natural flavouring
Artificial flavour/artificial flavoring
Hydrolyzed plant protein, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Seasonings, Flavorings
Dextrin, maltodextrin

And remember this one?  MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavour enhancer derived from L-glutamic acid (a nonessential amino acid).  It's also known as Monosodium L-glutamate or sodium glutamate, and E621.

MSG can be found in the following foods:

Animal-based protein: chicken, beef, salmon, mackerel, shrimp, crab as well as processed meats.

Cheese: Parmesan, Emmenthal, cheddar
Vegetables: tomatoes, onions, cabbage, green peas, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli
Sauces and dressings: soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressings
Packaged/premade foods: canned soups, canned tuna, frozen meals, crackers, potato chips, condiments

And, lastly, Dairy or milk products.

Items or ingredients containing milk:

Artificial butter or cheese flavor
Casein or caseinates
Diacetyl
Curd
Ghee
Hydrolysates
Lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate
Lactose, lactulose, lactoglobulin, lactoferrin, 
Protein powders
Recaldent
Rennet
Tagatose
Whey or whey products

Avoid ingredients beginning with "lac" (such as  lactic acid, sodium lactate, etc..)

One thing I have learned the hard way about ingredient lists is this.  When it comes to the listing of natural or artificial favouring and/or natural or artificial colour be wary. These particular ingredients if listed, do not usually list what's actually in them. For example, they may just list " natural flavouring" on the label and nothing else. But this "ingredient" could include something that you're potentially allergic to. So if you have food allergies or sensitivities this is definitely something to be aware of.  You may be able to contact the company or manufacturer to find out what's included in this ingredient.

 

Sources:

"What to Know About Different Types of and Names for Sugar" - webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-different-types-names-sugar

"The 56 Most Common Names for Sugar (Some Are Tricky)"  - healthline.com/nutrition/56-different-names-for-sugar#Theres-no-need-to-avoid-naturally-occurring-sugars

"How to Identify Gluten on Food Labels" - verywellhealth.com/how-to-identify-gluten-on-food-labels-562666

"Finding the Hidden Sugar in the Foods You Eat" - hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/finding-the-hidden-sugar-in-the-foods-you-eat

"Is MSG Truly Unhealthy? All You Need to Know" - healthline.com/nutrition/msg-good-or-bad#what-it-is

"Living With a Milk Allergy" - webmd.com/allergies/milk-allergy

" What to know about dairy allergies" - medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dairy-allergy#prevention-and-treatment