You must have heard many times so far that certain ingredients are said to be just empty calories. An ingredient that is most often mentioned in that context is undoubtedly white sugar.
Excessive sugar consumption leads to obesity, diabetes, as well as various cardiovascular diseases. Sugar does not contain any vitamins or minerals in its composition—just empty and unnecessary calories.
So why can’t we resist when someone offers us chocolate or a piece of cake?
It’s because we simply love sweets. And what happens to all that sugar we take into our bodies? It mostly remains stored in the form of fat that accumulates around the waist.
Due to the harmful effects of white sugar, today, you can find many healthier variants of sweeteners. As a result, foods that contain healthy sugar substitutes are becoming more and more popular. Almost all confectioneries, including online cake shop in Dubai, offer cakes without white sugar.
In today’s article, we will try to explain as thoroughly as possible why sugar is so bad for human health. Also, we will mention some healthy substitutes for white sugar.
So let’s get started.
Why is White Sugar Bad for Our Health?
Sugar consists of glucose and fructose. For regular cell development, the human body uses glucose. Fructose is stored in the liver and is used by the body as needed. Any excessive consumption of sugar (from artificial juices, sweets) leads to the liver turning excess sugar into fat.
This leads to many health issues such as:
1. When the liver converts excess sugar into fat, there is an increase in bad cholesterol in your blood,
2. Excessive sugar intake leads to insulin resistance,
3. Glucose accumulates in the blood, which causes diabetes and many other diseases,
4. There is an increase in body weight.
As you can see, there are many reasons to replace white sugar with healthier sweeteners. If you do not want to give up your favorite treats, try to sweeten them in a healthier way.
5 Natural Sugar Substitutes
1. Honey
Honey is an excellent natural substitute for sugar. Although not rich in vitamins, honey contains a large number of antioxidants. Also, the glucose found in honey is suitable for the human body. Even though honey is a natural product, you should not overdo with its consumption.
2. Stevia
The best natural substitute for sugar is definitely Stevia. According to scientific research, Stevia has a very beneficial effect on human health. Scientists claim that Stevia regulates blood sugar levels. Also, it is considered not to affect glucose levels making it suitable for people with diabetes.
Stevia is recommended for those who take care of their appearance because it does not cause obesity. If you decide to replace sugar with Stevia, it is essential to know that Stevia is much sweeter than sugar. That is why you should add Stevia to cookies in minimal quantities.
3. Molasses
Molasses is a sweetener in the form of a thick and dark syrup obtained by cooking sugar cane. It is considered that one teaspoon of molasses provides as much as 10% of the recommended daily dose of calcium, iron, and magnesium. However, molasses is not so common in the everyday diet. Today, it is still used more in cosmetics.
4. Agave Syrup
Agave syrup is a natural sweetener that has recently appeared on the market. Since it has not been sufficiently researched, its nutritional values are not fully known yet. What is known is that agave syrup does not contain gluten. Due to this characteristic, Agave syrup is recommended as a sweetener for people who are intolerant to gluten. Also, agave syrup contains fiber, which speeds up the work of the digestive tract. It would be best if you did not overdo it with agave syrup, because unfortunately, it includes a lot of calories.
5. Xylitol (Birch sugar)
Xylitol is a type of sugar alcohol extracted from birch (by cutting the bark of the tree). Xylitol contains 40% fewer calories than regular white sugar. It is recommended to add Xylitol to coffee or tea. However, Xylitol should not be used for cakes because it prevents the dough from rising. Since it does not raise the blood sugar level, Xylitol is suitable for people with diabetes.
Natural sweeteners are definitely a better choice than white sugar. However, even with natural sugar substitutes, you should pay attention to the number of sweeteners you use in your diet. If you are interested to learn what else you can use as a natural substitute for sugar, click on the following link: https://www.cookist.com/how-to-replace-sugar-9-natural-alternatives-to-sweeten-drinks-and-desserts/.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons to replace white sugar with a natural variant of sweetener. To choose a sweetener, you need to know why you want to get plain sugar out of use.
Whatever your reason, throwing white sugar out of your diet will positively affect your general health.
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