Sugar

What Is Sugar ?

In nutrition terms sugar is a carbohydrate.  In the past, the word "carbohydrate" suffered from a bad reputation as a slimmers nightmare, full of calories and a major obstacle to successful weight loss.  Now the recommendation is that we should eat more carbohydrates.  To understand this apparent contradiction it is important to understand that there are two types of carbohydrates - starches and sugars.

Sugar comes in a variety of forms, the most common of these being the white sugar which we routinely add to tea or coffee and use in baking.  This particular form of sugar is called sucrose.  Food labels often indicate the presence of other sugars such as:

These sugars provide energy quickly i.e. calories and nothing else, hence the term "empty food" which is sometimes used in connection with sugars.   from a nutritional point of view all sugars are the same.  The amount of minerals and vitamins in honey or brown sugar is negligible.

Sugars are also found naturally foods.  Fruit juices and dried fruit in particular contain a large level of fructose.  The sugars in natural foods have the added advantage in that they come ready wrapped in coatings of minerals, vitamins, fibres and starches.

The following points also require consideration when discussing why sugar levels should be reduced:

1. Sugar provides energy and nothing else.  Much better alternative sources of energy are available from foods which provide other nutrients as well as energy - e.g. unrefined foods, wholemeal breads, wholemeal cereals.
2. As sugar is a concentrated form of energy it can contribute to the problem of being overweight.  This in itself is associated with other health problems.  No one would claim that being overweight can be attributed exclusively to sugar, however, it is too easy to consume very large amounts of sugar - possibly without realising it.  For example, many snack foods are very high in sugar and we tend to eat them in addition to normal foods.  It is always easy to find some room for sugary food, even after a large meal.
3. Sugar is an irritant to the stomach and generates gastric acid which contributes to heartburn and ulcers.
4. Sugar can cause enlargement of the liver, kidneys and adrenal glands as well as an increase in the production of insulin, oestrogen and adrenal hormones.  These hormones affect many  of the bodies functions and much of the bodies chemistry.
5. Sugar is an anti-nutrient containing no vitamins and minerals, yet in order for the body to make use of sugar it needs B complex vitamins, phosphorous and magnesium.  One way the body is able to use sugar is to rob itself of its existing stores of these nutrients, creating nutritional deficiencies.
6. Sugar can lead to tooth decay

Examples Of Food Containing Sugar

The following table gives examples of foods and their sugar content in terms of standard teaspoons

Sugar Content of Some Common Foods

Note that the specific brand may cause the actual sugar level to vary but the values shown are typical.

Hints For Sugar Intake Reduction

Before making any alterations to your diet, it is important to look at what you eat as a whole.  Simply cutting down on sugar could mean that you end up taking in too few calories.  Having said that, it is likely to be true that replacing your sugar intake with a high fibre, high carbohydrate intake will make your diet more healthy.

If you want to cut down on sugar on a long term basis you will have to go through a process of weaning yourself off of sweet things.  The following tips may help:

1. Try reducing the amount of sugar you have in tea and coffee or use in home cooking
2. Keep sweets, cakes, soft drinks and other high sugar foods for just the odd special occasion; there's no need to stop eating them altogether, but introduce a reward system.
3. Try to select snacks with less sugar and a greater nutritional content such as fruit and raw vegetables, low fat natural yoghurt, skimmed milk and diluted fruit juice
4. Buy fruit tinned in natural juice rather than syrup
5. Try using pureed apricots or dates as sweeteners in recipes
6. Avoid sugar or honey coated breakfast cereals