Sweet Sorrows

Lately, we’re hearing more and more about sugar—too much sugar, recommended sugars, types of sugars, healthy sugars, organic sugars, natural sugars, added sugars…well, you know. The questions, though, even with this daily barrage of new information about any or all of the above, remain unanswered.
-What constitutes added sugar?
-How much added sugar should I get?
-What kind of sugar is better?
-Are natural sugars beneficial?
-How much is too much?
-Do I need sugar?

It can be tough to navigate through the various studies, articles, and opinions on any or all of these topics and while I may not set the answers in stone, I’ll try to demystify a few of them.

Added sugar can be tricky to spot because sugar does occur naturally in a lot of our foods and drinks. Key words to look for when pinpointing the added sugar include: brown sugar, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, maltose, and fructose. Those are big, glaring clues to you—if they’re in the first few ingredients listed, beware because most of the total sugars in the product are most likely added.

Now, how much should you get? Well, no one really should get any added sugar. Added sugars are not an essential nutrient for survival and they don’t offer any health benefits. The question, then, should be how much added sugar is tolerable. Here’s where things get really confusing! Since everyone’s caloric needs are different, experts have had a hard time pinning down an actual added sugar total for the public. Currently, however, they’ve settled at 10% of one’s daily calories. Here, too, it becomes tricky. Typically, sugar is listed in grams on nutrition labels, so you’ll need to do some mental math. Each GRAM of sugar contains 4 calories. So if one eats a 1500 calorie diet every day, up to 150 calories can be allotted for added sugars. That doesn’t mean that one needs to get those extra sugar calories it’s a cap, a maximum that one ought not to get any more than.
An even more stunning visual? 150 calories of sugar or 37.5 grams adds up to 9 ½ teaspoons of sugar. When you consider that the average American consumes 32 teaspoons of sugar per DAY, it’s obvious that we’ve a long way to go. In one can of regular cola there are a whopping 40 grams of sugar—that’s 160 calories and 10 teaspoons. Amazing, really, when you picture it.

As an alternative, many people are seeking out “natural sugars.” Some of these include sugarcane sweeteners: turbinado sugar, evaporated cane juice, molasses, rapadura, and sucanat. Non-sugarcane sweeteners are also “natural” and include: agave nectar, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup. A lot of people think that since these sweeteners are “natural” and unrefined sources of sugar, that they provide a healthier alternative to added sugars. However, one must still take caution. While the many natural sugar sources go through less refinement during the production process, they still contain sugars, carbs, and calories. They still impact blood glucose levels and they still add up when counting your daily added sugars. Some of the alternatives are matched in sweetness and cooking density evenly with regular refined cane sugar. Others, like molasses, agave nectar, maple syrup, and some less popular varieties have stronger flavors and one can use less. For instance: instead of 1 cup of sugar, because molasses is strong, it might be a good idea to use a much smaller portion to achieve the same flavor hit. The natural sugars also run about even as far as calories. In 2 teaspoons of white table sugar there are 33 calories; agave nectar, brown rice syrup, honey, and maple syrup can all contain up to 45 calories in that same 2 teaspoons. For people who are seeking alternative sugars as a method for weight loss, it is good to note that “natural” does not indicate “light” or “diet-friendly.”

People also tend to equate natural with more nutritious. However, in the case of natural sugars, the benefits are minimal. None of the aforementioned natural sweeteners provide significant sources of vitamins or essential minerals.

All that being said, natural or not, sugar is sugar is sugar is sugar—too much is too much. Period.

Popularity: 5% [?]