Good Sugar V/S Bad Sugar – After Salt, Sugar is one of the most essential substances for a human body. We are born with a preference for sweet food. From childhood itself, sugar has played a vital role in our survival. And by the time, our cravings have led it to the high consumption.
According to research, a human body requires only 6tsp of sugar which is merely equal to 90 calories but in our day to day life, we consume more than 12tsp of sugar, twice than required. That is why, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay are commonly seen among people. Sometimes a high amount of sugar consumption can lead to heart diseases too.
Is Sugar All Bad? Is All Sugar Bad?
There are 3 types of carbohydrates in our regular diet. Sugar, Starch, and Fiber – built from Multiple Sugar Molecules. During the digestion, sugars and starches are processed into glucose, which transfers energy through the bloodstream.
So now the question must have arisen. Is Sugar All Bad? No. Is All Sugar Bad? No. But just like the phrase, “Too much of anything is bad.” Too much sugar consumption can lead to many lifetime diseases. So, as till now, we have categorized everything in a good and a bad away. Good Carbs and Bad Carbs. Good Fats and Bad Fats. The same way we have categorized Sugar into Good Sugar and Bad Sugar.
- Good Sugar: Good Sugar is naturally found and available in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, etc. Which comes with the benefits of different nutrients. Nutrients like fiber slow down the absorption of sugar, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Good Sugar naturally occurs, so it can be called “Natural Sugar” or “Simple Sugar”. For example, one bowl of cherry contains 17-18 grams of sugar with lots of nutrients and fiber. So, just to banish cherry for a higher sugar level, would be a bad practice. As we will lose out other nutrients and fiber at the same time.
- Bad Sugar: The sugar which is added during the processing, cooking or at the table directly, called Processed Sugar. As it is artificially produced or made as a sweetener for our regular life, it doesn’t come with nutrients in it. Void of all the vitamins and minerals. It is just a source of energy and zeroes nutritional value. That is why it is called Bad Sugar. Bad Sugar increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease. When sugar enters our bloodstream, our pancreas releases insulin and enables sugar in glucose form to enter into the cells. When cells become resistant to insulin, the sugar stays in the blood rather than getting washed out. And this turns out to be a risk increaser for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Recommendations on Controlling Sugar Consumption:
Day by day our consumption of Sugar pattern is getting changed, instead of decreasing it, we are consuming sugar in different forms like sugary soda drinks, processed food, or whole food. Too much sugar consumption leads to speeding up the aging process, tooth decay, and liver damage the same as the alcohol does to the human body.
As drinking too much water is copious for the body, too much sugar won’t do any good thing to the body. So, it’s time for us to cut down the direct sugar usage in our processed food. Every sweetener, irrespective of fruit syrup or sugar-free one, contains sugar which turns out to be harmful for tomorrow.
It is not necessary to cut off sugar consumption immediately but slowly and gradually we can reduce the consumption of Sugar and Sugary food. Instead of having sweets to beat hunger, one can try out nuts and seeds which contain a low amount of natural sugar. Try and developing taste for darker chocolate and consume it in a smaller amount. One can try out with Stevia, a sweetener made from natural plant, which calorie-free and doesn’t increase the spike in the bloodstream.
Go for Healthy Sugar:
- Add Cinnamon Powder in Cold or Hot coffee to beat the sugar effects and cravings.
- Sugar Flakes (Cornflakes, Chocos, flavored cereals) can be replaced with oats.
- Sugary soda drinks can be replaced with fresh fruit juices.
We, at Geo-Fresh believes in Healthy and Happy tomorrow.
