Sugar is a simple carbohydrate like all other refined foods and should be avoided. All types of sugars are only “empty” calories, have no nutrition value, raise the insulin levels rapidly, and damage the blood sugar balance. The raised insulin levels make fat that is stored in the body.
Eating too much sugar increases your risk for heart disease such as higher triglycerides and lower levels of HDL cholesterol; and also makes you fat, reports Dr. Miriam Vos of Emory School of Medicine in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Apr 2010).
How Much Sugar?
The American Heart Association warns that too much sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The association recommends (Aug 2009) that women should not eat more than 100 calories per day, i.e 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added processed sugar a day, while men should keep it to just 150 calories or 9 teaspoons (37.5 grams).
Chemical Formula of Sugar
The common table sugar or cane sugar is Sucrose whose chemical formula (molecular formula) is C11H22O11
Fructose (also called fruit sugar) and Glucose (or dextrose) both have molecular formula C6H12O6/, but differ in structure.
Sugar Facts
- Note that all sugars are the same, white or brown or crystals or cubes, so far as the blood sugar is concerned. Brown sugar is as bad as white sugar. Even sugar substitutes are damaging, as they are chemicals.
Sugar Type
100gSugar
gramSugars, granulated 100.0 Sugars, powdered 97.9 Sugars, brown 96.3 Honey 82.1 - If a label says “no added sugar" or "sugar free”, that does not mean that it does not contain sugar of any kind! They may be using different forms of sugars, viz., Sucrose, Fructose, Glucose, Dextrose, Lactose, and Maltose. Remember the –ose at the end of each word.Also avoid maltodextrin as
- A can of soft drink can contain about 8-10 teaspoon of sugar! The diet varieties contain chemical sweeteners. We don't know what these chemicals are doing to our body.
The sweeteners slow down the digestive process and increase the appetite. The American Cancer Society has reported that people who regularly use artificial sugars tend to gain weight.
It is always better to use natural sugar substitutes like stevia or maple syrup. Sugar in liquors, vodka, alcohol, fruits and juices - Read the food labels. The higher up sugar appears on the ingredient list, the more the product contains. A food with less than 5 g sugar per 100 g is considered low sugar food while foods with more than 10 g sugar per 100g should be avoided.