Sugar-free, sweetener-free products: the supermarket mirage

Sugar-free, sweetener-free products: the supermarket maze

Finding products with no added sugar and no sweeteners in a conventional supermarket is almost a mission impossible. Consumers who take up the fight against sugar discover that most packaged foods contain hidden sugar or artificial sweeteners. But the trap is subtler: even products labelled "no added sugar" are not safe if they contain refined flours, whose effect on blood glucose is identical to that of sugar.

The mirage of "sugar-free" biscuits

A classic example is sugar-free wholegrain María biscuits (a popular Spanish plain tea biscuit). Although they avoid white sugar, they are made with refined wheat flour, which the body converts into glucose at almost the same rate as sugar. Anyone eating them to cut their sugar intake is fooling themselves: the insulin spike is similar. According to the most rigorous analyses, the solution is to cut out not only sugar but also refined cereals.

The reality of labelling: sugar in almost everything

The food industry adds sugar to unlikely products: cured meats, sauces, yoghurts, sandwich bread. Even dark chocolate, considered healthy, contains high proportions of sugar. A breakdown shows that an 85% cocoa bar from the Hacendado brand (Mercadona's own label) contains 15% sugar; the 81% one from J.D. Gross, 16.8%; and only from 99% cocoa onwards does it drop to between 1% and 2%. For anyone seeking zero sugar, the only safe option is pure 100% cocoa.

Real alternatives at the supermarket

Despite the difficulties, there are acceptable processed products at large stores, provided you scrutinise the labels. Some documented options are: 100% peanut peanut butter (MyProtein), wholegrain rye wasa-style bread (rye flour only), plain sugar-free yoghurt, and cured meats with no starches or added sugars, such as those from the Ezequiel brand. You can also find sausages without starch and sugar-free custards (with 8 grams of carbohydrates) as an occasional treat.

The debate over whether sugar is necessary

One school of thought holds that sugar is dispensable because the body can produce glucose from other carbohydrates or, in their absence, through ketone bodies. With fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates a day, the body enters ketosis within 72 hours, eliminating sugar cravings. This approach, known as the low-carb or ketogenic diet, is gaining trinc as a strategy to fight obesity and diabetes. In Spain, the obesity rate reaches 20% (11 million people) and diabetes 12% (5 million), which lends urgency to the debate.

The food industry will not easily give up sugar and sweeteners, but pressure from conscious consumers is driving change. Although the range of genuinely clean products remains scarce, the movement towards the basics —eating label-free food— is gaining ground. Until the supermarket becomes a real market, you will have to read every label with a magnifying glass.