"No Added Sugar" Isn't the Same as Low Sugar: How to Read the Label Properly
Two words on the front of a pack have become a sales strategy: no added sugar. You see them on juices, biscuits, protein bars, breakfast cereals and protein powders, and they do exactly what they are designed to do — make you stop reading.
The trouble is that the phrase describes how a product was made, not how much sugar ends up in it. The number that actually matters for your body is printed on the back, in a row most people skip: total sugars.
Here is how to read that label properly — including what the different sweeteners do, and an honest look at our own product.
- "No added sugar" means no sugar was added during manufacture. It says nothing about the total sugar inside.
- Fruit powders, fruit concentrates, dates and milk solids can add plenty of sugar without breaking the claim.
- Maltodextrin and some sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, raise blood sugar even though they are not labelled as sugar.
- Stevia and monk fruit do not raise blood sugar; artificial sweeteners do not directly either, but they have their own open questions.
- Read total sugars per serving, check the ingredient list, and look at the whole product — protein and fibre change how sugar behaves.
Butter Coffee — All-in-One Nutrition Shake
23–25 g complete plant protein, 60+ superfoods, 26 vitamins & minerals, probiotics & digestive enzymes — in one 90-second shake.
What the claim actually means
Broadly, a "no added sugar" claim means the manufacturer did not add sugar — table sugar, jaggery, honey, syrups and so on — during production. It does not mean the product is low in sugar, and it certainly does not mean it contains none.
Food naturally contains sugars. Milk has lactose. Fruit has fructose and glucose. Concentrate a fruit into a powder or a paste, and you concentrate its sugar too. A juice made purely from fruit can carry the label and still hold as much sugar per glass as a soft drink.
Where the sugar hides
Maltodextrin is the one people most often miss. It is a starch-derived carbohydrate used for texture and bulk, it is not counted as sugar, and it breaks down into glucose quickly. A product can be technically free of added sugar and still rely on it heavily.
| Ingredient | Counts as added sugar on the claim? | Raises blood sugar? |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit powder, fruit concentrate, date paste | Often not | Yes — it is still sugar |
| Milk solids, milk powder (lactose) | No | Yes, moderately |
| Maltodextrin | Not labelled as sugar | Yes — digests quickly into glucose |
| Maltitol (sugar alcohol) | No | Yes, noticeably |
| Erythritol (sugar alcohol) | No | Very little |
| Sucralose, acesulfame-K, aspartame | No | Not directly |
| Stevia, monk fruit | No | No |
Artificial sweeteners: what we know and what we don't
Sucralose, acesulfame-K and aspartame are approved for use in India within set limits, and they do not directly raise blood glucose. That is why they appear in so many products sold as sugar-free.
What is less settled is everything around them. Research is still mixed on whether regular use affects appetite, sweet cravings or the gut microbiome, and in 2023 the World Health Organization advised against relying on non-sugar sweeteners as a tool for long-term weight control. Some people also find certain sweeteners upset their stomach.
None of that makes them dangerous in normal amounts. It does mean "sugar-free" is not automatically the healthier choice — it is a different trade-off.
Stevia and monk fruit
Stevia comes from the leaves of the stevia plant; monk fruit extract comes from a small gourd. Both are intensely sweet, both are used in tiny amounts, and neither raises blood sugar. They are generally the gentlest option for sweetness without sugar.
Their limitation is taste. On their own they can leave a slightly bitter or lingering aftertaste, which is why many products — ours included — pair them with a small amount of real sugar.
So what does 3–6 g of sugar actually do?
A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g. So a product with 3–6 g per serving contains roughly one to one and a half teaspoons.
Whether that meaningfully raises your blood sugar depends on what else is in the product and who you are. Sugar eaten on its own, in a drink with nothing else, is absorbed quickly. The same few grams inside a shake that also carries protein, fibre and fat is absorbed more slowly, and for most people produces a small, gradual rise rather than a sharp spike.
The honest point is not that 3–6 g is dangerous. It is that it is not zero — it counts towards your daily total — and that a front-of-pack claim can make you forget it exists. The WHO suggests keeping free sugars ideally below about 25 g a day, and those small amounts from several products add up quickly.
People managing diabetes respond individually. If that is you, a glucose meter after trying a product tells you far more than any label, and your doctor can help you read the result.
How to read a label in 30 seconds
- Ignore the front. Claims are marketing. The nutrition panel and ingredient list are the facts.
- Find total sugars per serving. Not per 100 g — per the amount you will actually eat or drink.
- Check the ingredient order. Ingredients are listed by weight. Fruit concentrate or maltodextrin near the top is a signal.
- Look for hidden carbs. Maltodextrin, dextrose, glucose solids, maltitol, fruit juice concentrate.
- Read the whole product. Sugar with plenty of protein and fibre behaves very differently from sugar on its own.
What each label phrase does and doesn't tell you
| On the pack | Tells you | Doesn't tell you |
|---|---|---|
| No added sugar | Sugar wasn't added in manufacture | How much sugar is inside |
| Sugar-free | Very little sugar | Which sweeteners replaced it |
| Naturally sweetened | The sweetener has a natural source | Whether that source is sugar, like dates or jaggery |
| Low sugar | Sugar is below a set threshold | What the serving size is |
| Total sugars (back panel) | All sugars, natural and added | — this is the number to use |
Where KABO fits in
In the interest of doing what this article recommends: KABO is not a no-added-sugar product, and we do not describe it as one. Butter Coffee is sweetened with stevia and White Chocolate Blueberry with monk fruit, and both flavours also contain a small amount of cane sugar — around 5 g per serving, as our product page states.
We use it because stevia and monk fruit alone taste noticeably sharp, and a shake nobody finishes does nobody any good. That sugar sits inside a serving with 23–25 g of plant protein and 4 g of fibre, which slows how it is absorbed.
Read our label the same way you would read anyone else's — total sugars, per serving — and decide with the real number in front of you.
Butter Coffee — All-in-One Nutrition Shake
23–25 g complete plant protein, 60+ superfoods, 26 vitamins & minerals, probiotics & digestive enzymes — in one 90-second shake.
Read next: Natural sweeteners in protein powder, explained · How to read a nutrition label · Jaggery vs sugar · Free 7-day Indian meal plan
Frequently asked questions
Does no added sugar mean sugar-free?
No. It means no sugar was added during manufacture. The product can still contain natural sugars from fruit, milk or other ingredients — sometimes a lot. Check total sugars on the back of the pack.
Do stevia and monk fruit raise blood sugar?
No. Both are plant-derived, very sweet in tiny amounts, and do not raise blood glucose, which is why they are popular alternatives to sugar.
Are artificial sweeteners bad for you?
In normal amounts they are approved as safe and do not directly raise blood sugar. The research on appetite, gut bacteria and long-term weight is still mixed, and the WHO advises against relying on them for weight control.
Will 5 g of sugar spike my blood sugar?
For most people, 5 g — about a teaspoon — inside a meal or shake with protein and fibre causes only a small, gradual rise. The same amount in a sugary drink on its own is absorbed faster. People with diabetes respond individually.
What should I look for on a nutrition label?
Total sugars per serving, the ingredient list order, and hidden carbohydrates like maltodextrin and maltitol. Look at protein and fibre too, because they change how quickly sugar is absorbed.
Sources: WHO — guideline on non-sugar sweeteners · FSSAI
This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, managing a medical condition or taking medication, speak to your doctor before changing your diet or starting a supplement.