Recently I’ve received a lot of questions about added sugar vs natural sugars and which ones are “good.” After much deliberation on this subject, I’ve come to an easy rule of thumb.
Here goes: “If you have to add sugar to your meal, it’s not a good sugar.” Now this is much easier said than done, right? Imagine this, would you make a steak and add protein powder to it? Or create a beautiful fresh salad, and then sprinkle it with dehydrated vegetables and top that with protein powder instead of a piece of fresh fish or meat on top? You answered never, right? So why are we compelled to add processed sugar to all of our meals? Well, the answer to that is another article altogether and that deals with sugar addiction. To get to the meat of things here is some information I found that I wanted to share with you about natural, processed, and chemically altered sugars! If you want more information about chemically altered sugars, read our post on scary facts about sugar.
First, try to eat a Natural Sugar instead of a Processed Sugar!
What is natural sugar? Natural Sugars are something that you or a local farmer could reasonably harvest. They are less likely to be GMO and less likely to have added chemicals and other processed agents that can cause havoc on your health! There are many types of natural sugar that may appeal to you.
Here is a chart to identify some naturally occurring sugars.
|
Sugar Type |
Natural |
Maintains Minerals and/or Nutrients |
Glycemic Index Rating |
|
Maple Syrup |
Yes |
Yes |
54 |
|
Local Honey |
Yes |
Yes |
50-75 |
|
Stevia Leaf |
Yes |
Yes |
Less than 1 |
|
Coconut Palm Sugar |
Yes |
Yes |
35 |
Avoid highly processed sugars. What are processed sugars? These are sugars which are cooked down, bleached, and do not resemble their original state.
|
Sugar Type |
Natural |
Maintains Minerals and/or Nutrients |
Glycemic Index Rating |
|
White table sugar |
No |
NO |
65 |
|
Corn Syrup |
No |
NO |
100 |
Finally, understanding that artificial sweeteners are toxic.
Do your best in avoiding additional sugars at meals and with your beverages! Next time you find yourself adding sugar, pause and ponder… why you are doing it. Is it really necessary to enhance the flavor of your already delicious food? Probably not! Improved awareness on the different types of sugar helps us make improved decisions and avoid some of the bad facts about sugar.
Yours in health and happiness,
Kristen
