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If you are interested in having more energy, sleeping better, improving your general health and losing weight (especially from the stomach area), reducing your sugar intake can have a dramatic impact.
Too much sugar can increase your chance of health issues and diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dental cavities, so it’s a no-brainer that reducing your daily intake will help you have a healthier lifestyle.
Here are six facts about sugar that everyone needs to know…
Sugars belong to one of two groups – simple or complex sugars. Simple sugars, including glucose and fructose, cause a fast spike in our blood sugar levels, and these are the ones we should try to reduce to improve our health.
Complex sugars, like sucrose, maltose and lactose, take longer for the body to break down, therefore keeping blood sugar levels more stable, without the sugar “high” followed by an energy “crash.”When including sugar in your diet, complex sugars are a
better choice.
These are free sugars and bound sugars.
Free sugars contain ‘empty calories’ as the calories or energy they provide contain only very low, if any, nutritional benefit. Free sugars include processed fruit juices, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, glucose, brown sugar, white sugar etc.
Foods that contain ‘bound sugars’ are complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables. Fruits are a great way to add sweetness to your meals as they also provide nutritional benefits.
This helps to slow down blood sugar absorption, making the energy you receive from these types of foods last longer.
We all know that too much sugar is bad for you. But is there such thing as a “healthy” sugar option? And if so, what’s the best type?
This type of sugar probably has the worst reputation. When sugarcane or sugar beet is refined, the moisture, minerals and compounds are removed, resulting in white refined sugar.
So is brown sugar healthier? The short answer is no. Brown sugar is basically the same as white sugar except it contains molasses, which are the compounds removed during the refining process that give sugars their colour.
This variety of sugar is made from sap from the coconut plant. It has a lower GI (glycemic index) than other sugars, which means blood glucose levels will rise slower when the food is consumed, though the effect may differ depending on the person.
So even though coconut sugar has a lower GI, it is just as high in calories as regular sugar so it doesn’t make it much healthier.
Made from the nectar collected by bees, honey seems like a super healthy, natural option. But because it’s high in fructose which is sweeter than table sugar and has a moderate GI level, make sure you enjoy it in moderation.
Cutting out sugar doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your desserts!
By cooking with fruit, you can add in extra nutrients that you wouldn’t get with regular sugar but the fructose means you can still get that sweet flavour. But with everything, moderation is key.
Try these sugar free banana and date muffins that both adults and kids will love! They’re sweetened with dates which are high in fibre as well as essential minerals including selenium, magnesium and iron.
In this blog, nutritionist shows you how to drastically reduce sugar in your coffee or tea within THREE weeks.