Honey or maple syrup offer greater nutrition than white sugar in terms of nutritional value, due to their minimal processing requirements. Their micronutrient levels likely won’t have a discernible effect on health; all sources of sugar are usable by your body.
Your body does not treat natural sweeteners any differently; all sugars are converted to monosaccharides in your digestive tract. But are some sugars healthier than others, for instance? And would quitting put you on a fast track to weight loss, acne relief, mood regulation or any other health benefits?
As it turns out, solutions may not always be what we expect them to be. Here are four facts about sugar that even health-conscious individuals might be unaware of and tips on incorporating it into your diet.
Is Sugar That Bad In Our Diet?
1. Sugar is sugar, period
All Sugar Is Equal You may have heard that we should consume less sugar on an ongoing basis; in actuality, experts advise us to consume less added sugar – that is, additional sweetener added to foods to increase sweetness – such as honey drizzled over yogurt or brown sugar added into cookies.
Foods such as fruit and milk that naturally contain sugar differ significantly from added sugar in terms of its benefits, including its bundle of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that help counteract some of its negatives; such as fiber which slows our bodies absorption rate of the latter.
Lesson learned? Whole fruits and plain dairy products don’t matter. What’s important is being aware of sources of added sugar like packaged food items, sweetened beverages and desserts that contain them.
2. Natural or sugars with little processing are healthier for you
Honey or maple syrup has greater nutritional value than white sugar due to the lesser processing required; however, their presence likely won’t have a noticeable impact on your health as small amounts exist in both. Your body may use all sources of sugar.
Additionally, natural sweeteners don’t receive special treatment from your body – all sugar sources are processed into monosaccharides in your digestive tract and converted to simple sugars known as monosaccharides.
Your body cannot distinguish between table sugar, honey, and agave nectar; all it sees are monosaccharide sugar molecules; each has four calories per gram so their effects on weight remain identical.
3. You’re unwell because of sugar
Perhaps you have heard that eating sugar increases the risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s, or heart disease; however, when consumed in moderation it will not shorten lives as claimed. A study tracking over 350,000 adults for over ten years found no association between increased sugar consumption and an increased mortality risk.
As long as you don’t go too far.
Sugar may seem harmless in moderation, but eating too much of it can increase your chance of weight gain. Just as cheese, chips and brown rice have similar consequences when consumed excessively.
Addition of too many total calories from sugar increases our risk of obesity and chronic diseases, potentially increasing weight gain and increasing risk.
Treating yourself to a doughnut on Sundays won’t harm, but beware if doing so will increase your intake beyond your daily calorie limit. In addition, avoid using this knowledge to coerce someone into taking sugar they don’t wish for.
4. You can reduce or eliminate sugar from your diet to help you lose weight
Yes, cutting back on sugar can help you meet your weight loss objectives – but only if you also keep an eye on how many total calories you are taking in overall. Fear emphasizes that simply switching out sweet meals for other items that contain more calories – something which could potentially lead to weight gain!
Simply put, even though a 600-calorie egg and sausage breakfast sandwich has less sugar than your average bowl of sugary cereal, it won’t help you fit back into your tight jeans.
What will help? Fear suggests selecting unsweetened versions of items you usually consume, such as plain yogurt instead of vanilla flavor, and gradually cutting back on sugar added to coffee, smoothies and cereal products.
Also Refer :- The Best Healthy Snacks To Take
The Bottom Line
Sugar may not be healthy for our diets, but it shouldn’t be seen as the evil force it is often depicted to be. While most of us would prefer less of it in our daily lives, even small amounts are acceptable in moderation – so feel free to enjoy a sweet treat now and again without guilt or worry!