DF Here's The Good and Bad About Sugar

When most people think about “sugar,” it's smiletime. Because sugar is sweet, people of all ages love to like sugar and sugary foods. It is so good and tasty. But where does sugar come from, and what is the bad about sugar?

Most of the sugar we eat, cook and bake with (common table sugar), comes from sugarcane plants or sometimes sugar beets. Sugar is typically used to add sweetness to the foods you eat. That's the good about sugar.
Sugar is an organic compound that occurs naturally in most plants. The white granules of sugar that you put in your sugar bowl are a type of sugar compound known as "sucrose," a molecule composed of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11).

Like all compounds made from these three elements, sugar is a carbohydrate. When it comes to nutrition, it is important to know that sugar is a simple carbohydrate which does not contain the nutrients of more complex carbohydrates such as those found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Your body converts (1) sugar into fat. Most of us know that increased body fat is not good for you. Sugar can also be a problem when it comes to your teeth: Sugars in the mouth which are not properly brushed or flossed away, cause natural bacteria (in the mouth) which produces acid and (2) leads to cavities. But that's not all… Sugar can cause (3) health issues.

For these three reasons alone, sugar should be eaten in moderation.

Sugar comes in many different forms, however, all types have a sweet flavor. The names of typical sugars end with -ose. The main types of sugar are sucrose, lactose and fructose.

Sucrose is actually two simpler sugars stuck together: fructose and glucose. When cooking recipes, a little bit of acid (for example, some lemon juice or cream of tartar) causes sucrose to break down into these two components. Fruit and honey contain fructose, while milk has lactose.

Glucose is the type of sugar that circulates in our blood - often referred to as blood sugar.

You should not add sugar to food and drinks.

What are Added Sugars?
Yes, added sugars refer to what we add to our food and drinks at the table… but also "added sugar" refers to sugar and syrup added to foods in processing and preparation. Some of these include sodas (soft fizzy drinks), candy, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, desserts, dairy products, breakfast cereals and many more.

One 12-ounce can of regular soda pop contains 8 teaspoons of sugar and 130 empty calories. Empty calories mean calories with no nutritional value.

Most people underestimate their daily sugar intake. According to the American Heart Foundation, added sugars "contribute zero nutrients and add calories that lead to extra pounds, obesity and serious health issues such as diabetes and heart attacks.

How much added sugar should a person have? According to the American Heart Foundation, women should consume no more than 100 calories from added sugars per day, and men 150 calories per day.

Sugar Substitutes and Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar substitutes are loosely considered any sweetener that you use instead of regular table sugar (sucrose).

Artificial sweeteners are just one type of sugar substitute. Some sugar substitutes, such as aspartame, are promoted because they add virtually no calories to your diet. Newer sugar substitutes, including stevia and agave nectar, claim to be lower in calories, tastier and healthier options, but that may not be accurate.

Regardless of what they're called or how they're classified, sugar substitutes aren't magic bullets for weight loss.

1. Sugar substitutes are derived through complex chemical processes from a range of natural and synthetic sources, including herbs or sugar itself.

2. Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes and generally don’t taste exactly like sugar so manufacturers often use a blend of sweeteners to create the taste they want.

3. They have little or no caloric value and do not affect insulin levels or cause tooth decay.

Artificial sweeteners include Saccharin (Sweet ‘n Low and Sweet Twin), Aspartame (Equal and Nutrasweet), Acesulfame K (Sunnett and Sweet One) and Sucralose (Splenda).

Artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are:

Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
Neotame
Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low)
Sucralose (Splenda)

Critics of artificial sweeteners say that they cause cancer. That's largely because of studies dating to the 1970s that linked saccharin to bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Because of those studies, saccharin once carried a warning label that it may be hazardous to your health.

But according to the National Cancer Institute, there's no sound scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer. But after just a day of research, I am suspicious of this.

If you ask me, the best course of action I can follow is to eat natural food and avoid artificial substitutes. Eat fresh food and avoid processed food. Cook your food from scratch as much as possible and avoid prepared and packaged frozen food including advertised weight control packaged meals.

But I'm here to tell you that it is not easy. There is so much ready-to-eat food, canned and frozen food available, it is confusing and hugely time consuming to ferret out what is good for you and what food is bad for you.

Considering most people's busy lives, it is probably quite a challenge to take time to prepare and eat real food. But when you consider the chemical derivatives (some not even from food sources), complex processing and potential health risks, there is good reason to limit the food you eat to real and fresh.

Moderation is the key when it comes to sugar. Do NOT ADD sugar to your food and the drinks you make, such as tea and coffee. Really consider whether it's worth it to use artificial sugar substitutes.

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