When it comes to bad health and weight gain, sugar is almost always the culprit.
Sugar is toxic. Sugar is poison. Sugar could kill you. Sugar makes you gain weight.
We hear it all the time.
Sugar has been getting a bad rap lately, and increasing awareness of the effects of sugar on health and weight has led many of us to cut down on anything and everything that contains sugar.
But is sugar really the sly saboteur behind unwanted weight gain? Should you cut all sugar out of your diet completely? What about natural sugars such as those found in fruits or honey?
In this article, we’ll get into all the details of these questions, but first, let’s cover the basics.
What Is Sugar Anyway?
When you think about sugar, you’re probably thinking of granulated sugar, the one made from refined sugar cane or sugar beets that you typically add to your coffee or tea.
You might also think of sugary treats that everyone tells you to steer clear of if you want to lose weight, such as candies, cookies, doughnuts, and pastries.
But the truth is, sugar comes in many different forms, each with different effects on your body.
By definition, sugar is sucrose, a type of carbohydrate that is naturally found in many plants. All carbohydrates consist of one or more molecules of sugar.
All green plants are capable of producing sugar through photosynthesis, the process by which they use sunlight to create oxygen and energy.
Sugar can also be found in milk. For example, 100mL of milk contains about 5g of lactose (milk sugar).
However, due to industrialisation and refining techniques, sucrose has become more prevalent in processed foods.
Sucrose is made up of two simple sugars called glucose and fructose.
When you eat glucose, your body releases insulin, causing a rise in blood sugar levels. Glucose can be used immediately as fuel for your body or stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles.
On the other hand, fructose is processed by the liver before being converted into glucose and fat for energy.
Compared to glucose, fructose raises blood sugar levels in a more gradual and steady manner.
While we often hear that “all sugar is bad sugar”, this is just a widespread misconception.
Keep reading to uncover the truth about sugar.
Should You Cut Down Sugar Completely?
In one word no.
Glucose is the primary source of energy for your body, and you need it to survive.
When your blood sugar (glucose) is too low, your body becomes starved for energy.
Low blood sugar is known as hypoglycemia and typically includes symptoms such as a fast heartbeat, sweating, shaking, irritability, nervousness, and dizziness – not exactly the kind of experience you’d seek out.
As I mentioned before, not all types of sugar are created equal.
Added sugar (that can be bad for your health if consumed in excessive amounts) is different from sugar that is naturally found in foods such as fruits (fructose and glucose) and milk (lactose).
Added sugar is sugar that is not naturally found in the food product and is added to food and beverages when they are processed.
While natural sugar contains vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs to function properly, added sugars have no nutritional value.
The calories coming from added sugar are often called empty calories because they contain little or no essential vitamins and minerals.
It is important to note that added sugar presents itself in many guides on food and beverage labels, such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, agave nectar, brown sugar, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, etc.
Now here’s the thing.
While your body needs natural sugars for energy, it does not need any added sugars to function properly.
The problem with added sugar is that it is not limited to sweets, desserts, or sugary drinks. It is also found in many foods that aren’t considered sweets, including breakfast cereals, salad dressings, ketchup, bread, yoghurt, and many more.
That’s why many people end up eating excessive amounts of sugar, even if they avoid foods and beverages that clearly contain added sugar.
Just like anything done in excess, eating too much added sugar can be bad for you.
That’s why it is important to avoid as much as you can sources of added sugar, such as desserts, packaged foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Added Sugar: Should You Eliminate It from Your Diet?
Now that you have a better understanding of the different types of sugar, you might ask yourself, “Should I completely cut out added sugars?”.
Well, here’s something that will make you happy – you don’t have to quit added sugar for good.
So why is that?
I strongly believe that everything in life needs balance, including your diet.
If you deprive yourself of all the foods you love in the name of healthy eating and weight loss, you risk entering an endless binge-restrict cycle.
It is a lot better to have a small bit of chocolate every once in a while instead of depriving yourself, obsessing, and then binge eating.
I’m not saying that chocolate is more nutritious than broccoli, just that a bit of chocolate (or cake, or any other treat you enjoy) won’t kill you or ruin your weight loss efforts – as long as you eat healthy most of the time and exercise regularly.
Keep in mind that too much of anything can be bad – including foods that are considered healthy. For example, even if the natural sugar found in bananas is much better than the added sugar found in candies, this doesn’t mean you should eat 10 bananas every day.
This would cause nutrient imbalances and weight gain by adding around 1,000 extra calories to your daily calorie intake (because one medium banana provides about 100 calories).
The same goes for minimally processed sugars such as honey.
Honey is a lot more nutritious than sugar because it has a slightly lower glycemic index and contains more vitamins and minerals.
However, eating too much honey can increase your blood sugar level and cause you to gain weight (because it is high in calories).
The takeaway?
Added sugar isn’t healthy, but it’s also not the evil enemy that it’s often made out to be.
As long as you focus on whole foods and regular exercise, digging into a sweet treat once a week to satisfy your cravings won’t derail your weight loss progress or affect your health.
Ultimately, it’s all about moderation.
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