It was once hailed as the White Death - the root of all dietary
and waistline sin. That was until the diet gurus declared fat as the new Satan's food!
But is sugar really the sweet tooth of culinary evil?
Sugar, alias sucrose, is pure carbohydrate. It's found naturally in fruits and vegetables (fructose), and milk
(lactose). The main source of refined sugar is from the sugar cane and sugar beet.
Honey is another natural source of sugar. It's a mixture of sugars which are formed from bee enzymes. There are
many different varieties of honey, and the flavor depends on which flowers the bees prefer!
Nutritionally, honey and sugar rank the same. A spoon of honey contains a few more calories than a spoon of sugar,
simply because honey is denser.
Raw sugar, brown sugar, molasses, golden syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup...they are all sugar. None is healthier
or worse than the other.
Our bodies need sugar and other carbohydrates for fuel. When we eat carbs our body converts them to glucose. Insulin
is released by the pancreas to help move the glucose into body's cells and feed the brain, which is 'powered' by
glucose.
Dietitians become concerned when we eat a lot of high-sugar snacks like cakes and fizzy drinks because they contain
empty calories. This means they contain sugar, water, and not much else. Fruits and vegetables contain sugar, along
with a heap of vitamins and minerals.
Because we're told how busy we are by ad agencies, we now replace vitamin-rich fresh food meals with fat and sugar-laden
fast food. The danger is when we do that too often, instead of enjoying fast foods as occasional treats.
It's like a car with no oil and coolant. It will run for a while, but then come to a grinding halt because it needs
the other 'nutrients' to function properly.
By eating too many empty foods and not exercising, we are living on pure energy but not burning it off. It just
smolders away like a log. Your body won't use up its fat stores until the carbohydrates are burned first. Sugar
is only converted to fat if you eat very large quantities. And if there's a lot of fat in the food, that gets stored
away with the other fat...your body is all revved up with no place to go!
On the other hand, if we don't eat enough carbs, our body is forced to tap into our muscles for glucose. Once this
source has been used up, you start feeling really fatigued, and will eventually become ill. Either way, there has
to be a balance.
As far as we know, sugar does not cause diabetes and heart disease, but too much can contribute to weight gain,
and that can lead to these diseases.
What sugar does cause is tooth decay. Being a kid with 'hurty' teeth was bad enough, but aching teeth when you're
an adult...dentists are still scary plus you have to pay for it yourself. And that really hurts! |
