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To most people the term sugar refers to the common household foodstuff table sugar (sucrose). Yet sucrose is only one of many naturally occurring sugars used in the human diet. Technically the term sugar applies to two classifications of carbohydrates. Free-form monosaccharides (simple sugars) include the more common glucose, fructose, and galactose. Disaccharides (two simple sugar molecules linked together) include the most common sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Naturally occurring sugars are available in fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy foods. Sweeteners are added sugars that are used as ingredients to both satisfy our taste and in some cases provide added energy. Continue reading →