Sugar and Health: How to Reduce Sugar
Rethinking Our Relationship with Sugar
Sugar is one of the most debated topics in nutrition. Some diets treat sugar as the enemy, while others focus more on overall dietary balance. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Understanding how sugar affects your health, metabolism, gut health, and energy levels can help you make informed choices without fear or confusion.
Paleo. Keto. Low carb. Whatever version of these popular diets you may follow, they have one thing in common: the underlying assumption that sugar is the enemy. While this can be an oversimplification, there is some truth to it. Still, it’s important to understand the nuances, so you can make the best choices for you and your body because your sugar and health are related.
Sugar consumption is a concern among Americans. According to the American Heart Association, women and children should be consuming just 6 teaspoons or fewer of added sugar each day, and for men, just 9 teaspoons. Americans, however, are far exceeding this recommended daily amount, averaging about 13.3 teaspoons of added sugar per day, which is twice the suggested daily allotment! Many processed foods contribute to these numbers, and the leading category for added sugars is beverages.
Types of Sugar
Did you know there are actually two types of sugar? What’s the difference between the two? And is one healthier for you than the other? It can seem overwhelming, but we break it down for you here.
#1 – Added Sugars Equals Empty Calories
First, let’s start with added sugars. This refers to sugars or sweeteners that are added to foods during processing or preparation to enhance the flavor profile. They might also appear on an ingredient list as brown sugar, pure cane sugar, raw sugar, molasses, or high-fructose corn syrup.
#2 – Naturally Occurring Sugars Are Part of a Balanced Diet
Naturally occurring sugars are part of whole foods, like the lactose in milk or the fructose in fruit. The good news is that these types of sugars are metabolized differently in the body than their additive counterparts, thanks to the protein, fiber, and water content accompanying them in a whole food. They are also lower on the glycemic index than added sugars. Consuming them typically doesn’t result in a sugar crash like you may experience when eating food with added sugars, like a donut, for example. That’s why eating fresh fruit is considered part of a balanced diet.
The Science Behind Sugar
Sugar has been around for a long time. Its mass production in America began in the 1800s with the sugar cane plant, and sugar beets were added to the mix in the 1900s. Before it was mass-produced, only royalty could afford it. Everyone else did without it or used things such as honey that were naturally sweet.
There are different types of sugars, and sugars can be monosaccharides or disaccharides. Monosaccharides are known as simple sugars. Simple sugars consist of fructose (fruit sugar, including honey), glucose (also found in different types of fruits, including onions and beetroot), and galactose (found in the milk of mammals).
Disaccharides are two monosaccharides joined together. These would include sucrose (glucose and fructose), which is found in sugar cane and sugar beets, lactose (glucose and galactose) found in mammals’ milk, and maltose (two glucose molecules joined together) found in cereals like barley and malt. What we need to understand is that all sugars are broken down by the body into glucose, which is used by the body as energy.
Granulated table sugar is pure sucrose, a carbohydrate, which provides energy for the body that contains no fat and no protein. It contains 15 calories per teaspoon and is rated as a medium on the glycemic index.
The Glycemic Index
The time it takes for food to turn to glucose in the body is called the Glycemic Index (GI). The glycemic index is based on white bread as the standard. White bread has a glycemic index of 100. Foods with a glycemic index larger than 100 mean they convert to glucose more quickly than white bread, and those with a glycemic index under 100 are slower to convert to glucose. So, a teaspoon of granulated table sugar converts to glucose more slowly than a piece of white bread.
This is largely due to white bread containing sugar and flour (starch)! The problem with processed sugars and carbohydrates such as white bread, donuts, cookies, and cakes is that they do not contribute much more than energy (glucose) to the body. They lack nutrition, which is why our bodies seem to remain hungry and why so many are stressed by eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
What Impact Does Table Sugar Have on Our Health?
The issue is less about an occasional teaspoon of sugar and more about the large amounts of added sugar found in processed foods and beverages. Another concern is the widespread use of highly processed sweeteners, including high-fructose corn syrup and many artificial sweeteners commonly found in processed foods and beverages. Most adults consume far more added sugar than recommended, which can contribute to blood sugar imbalances, weight gain, inflammation, gut microbiome disruption, and metabolic dysfunction over time.
I think it is fairer to blame these health concerns on our lack of keeping a balanced diet. We are not focusing on eating nutrient-dense foods. We must also be conscious of the calories we are consuming in comparison to the calories we are using. Diets high in processed foods, which are also high in carbohydrates, do not contribute to a healthy weight, balanced blood sugar, and can cause inflammation due to an imbalanced microbiome. It also lacks the fuel and nutrients your body needs to function at its optimum.
The Health Ramifications of Too Much Sugar
The health ramifications are nothing to dismiss. When the body is inundated with synthetic forms of sugar it isn’t allowed to process it more slowly as it does with natural sources (such as from a piece of fruit with fiber and other healthy things). Frequent spikes and crashes in blood sugar can also affect energy, hunger, cravings, and weight management. Over time, poor blood sugar control may contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Eating too much added sugar can lead to chronic spikes in blood sugar, weight gain, and increased risk of several chronic diseases. Consider the fact that American adults consume an average of 77 grams of added sugar per day, according to the American Heart Association. So tread lightly!
Sugar, Gut Health, and Inflammation
Diets high in added sugars may negatively affect the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Over time, this imbalance can contribute to inflammation, digestive issues, and metabolic dysfunction. Focusing on whole foods, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and reducing added sugars can help support a healthier gut microbiome.
Five Sweet Ideas to Reduce Sugar
The takeaway? Natural sugars are better for your body than added ones. Keep in mind as you choose the foods that fuel your body that not all sugars are created equally, and your body will thank you for making informed choices. If you’re concerned about your sugar consumption, try keeping a food journal and logging all of the nutritional data. You may be eating more added sugar than you realize.
If you are trying to curb or reduce sugar consumption, here are a few tips to get you started:
- Watch trouble foods. Sugary drinks and highly-processed baked goods and snacks pack a big punch when it comes to sugar content. Did you realize one regular size soda can contain about 10 teaspoons of sugar? Skip the flavored drinks and opt for water instead with fresh fruit or cucumber slices to add flavor.
- Always check nutrition labels and ingredients. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to less than 10 percent of total calories per day. So, for a 2000 calorie per day diet, that would be 200 calories or 50 grams of added sugar per day. Luckily, those nutrition labels can help you out. Just recently, the FDA has started including added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label. This will allow you to make informed choices, based on your individual needs and preferences.
- Replace candy and desserts with nature’s candy: sweet fruit. While fruit does contain fructose, this natural sweetener is much different than table sugar. And because of the large water content in fruit, the fructose is less concentrated than candy. Fruit also contains other healthful components, including fiber, vitamins, potassium and polyphenols.
- Keep a backup on hand. Keep healthier snack options on hand for when that sweet tooth strikes. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, chips and salsa, and low-salt popcorn are all good options.
- Make items at home with less added sugars. Cooking and baking at home can help you avoid many of the added preservatives and sugars that are added to create a shelf-stable product. Also, many recipes for baked goods work quite well by reducing the sugar content. Experiment and see how it works for you!
Pay attention to what you are eating. Work on balancing your diet with proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates found in fruits and vegetables. Also, go for a walk — our bodies are meant to move!
If you are wanting more help in reducing your sugar intake, consider joining our 5-Day Sugar Detox to curb sugar cravings and appetite. You might also want to focus on restoring gut health. Check out the Healthy Habits Challenge or join one of our wellness programs.