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This question came up on my Facebook page and I just had to share it with all of you, especially the Shakeology skeptics. How much sugar IS in Shakeology and will they ever make a LOW SUGAR version? The question is a valid one, because reading the label tells you that 9 grams of sugar per serving is nothing to sneeze at. That would typically be the amount of sugar in a bowl of kid’s cereal (a low sugar cereal, believe it or not), and by all standards would be quite a bit of sugar.

The difference between your Shakeology and your kid’s cereal, however, is the TYPE of sugar that is used. Your kid’s cereal uses white, refined sugar or Sucrose. This would likely be on your list of “bad for you” sugars. Shakeology uses fructose. Fructose is a simple sugar commonly found in fruits and honey. It is NOT HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery store shelves in the United States.

High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars. In terms of composition, high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar (sucrose), which is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Glucose is one of the simplest forms of sugar that serves as a building block for most carbohydrates.

HFCS is certainly something that you want to limit if not discard completely from your diet. This article from the Mayo Clinic will tell you more.

Shakeology leaves out the refined sugar or Sucrose, leaving behind just Fructose. Fructose is a monosaccharide (simple sugar), which the body can use for energy. Because it does not cause blood sugar to rise tremendously (it has a low glycemic index), fructose is a good substitute for sucrose (table sugar). Here is a great link explaining fructose.

A small amount of fructose, such as the amount found in most vegetables and fruits, is not a bad thing. In fact, there is evidence that a little bit may help your body process glucose properly.

I repeat, fructose and HFCS are not the same. Fructose is sweeter than sucrose so less is needed to achieve the same sweetness, offering calorie savings. Fructose has a low glycemic index and does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels. Pure crystalline fructose offers many functional benefits when added to a wide range of foods and beverages, improving product palatability and stability.

Shakeology uses fructose for the obvious reasons, but in order to keep the taste standards to your liking, its developers resisted using the artificial sweeteners found on the market today. Here is a quote from Steve Edwards, Nutritional Expert at Beachbody.

"Fructose is a natural sweetener from fruit. It's not high fructose corn syrup, which is categorized as an artificial sweetener because the fructose in it is chemically altered sucrose (table sugar). High fructose corn syrup is controversial as it's not even really fructose but converted glucose. We use non GMO fructose from beets (amount on label). It's not controversial at all. It's a low glycemic index fruit sugar that works in the formulation as a transport vehicle for the nutrients and for taste. Unless we were going to eliminate sugar altogether we can't do much better. Perhaps agave or honey but they have their naysayers as well. Beyond this we're in to artificial sweeteners or a natural flavor and believe me when I say that if we left the taste natural none of you would touch it."

I hope this answers your questions about sugar and Shakeology. Consider yourself educated. Fughetaboudit and enjoy it instead!