Sugar can be both beneficial and harmful to the body. Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages from its use. For those who look after their health, but love sweets, there is now a large selection of sugar substitutes. The main thing is to choose safe sweeteners.
The white sugar that we use in everyday life is almost 100% sucrose, which is a disaccharide formed from 2 molecules - glucose and fructose.
What are their benefits?
Glucose is the main source of energy for our body and the source of nutrition for the brain. It is found mainly in fruits, berries and fruits, and is also part of the polysaccharides found in cereals and vegetables. When glucose is consumed in its pure form, it is instantly absorbed into the bloodstream, filling our body with energy, causing a sharp surge of insulin in the blood, which contributes to the formation of the "hormone of joy" - serotonin. The breakdown of polysaccharides occurs in the body slowly, allowing you to gradually assimilate the released energy without storing it in the form of fat. Therefore, it is preferable to choose not sugar as a source of glucose, but complex carbohydrates from cereals and vegetables.
Fructose is also a source of energy, however, it has a low glycemic index, in contrast to pure glucose and therefore does not dramatically increase the level of sugar in a person's blood when consumed. In addition, it is almost 2 times sweeter than sugar and you can add less of it without losing sweetness, but noticeably reducing the calorie content of drinks and dishes.
Summing up the benefits of sugar for the body, we can say that there are only 2 of them: getting energy and pleasure due to the production of serotonin. But, as already mentioned, these benefits can be obtained from other sources that are healthier than sugar.
What other benefits can white sugar have? Sugar is an excellent preservative. But do not forget that at the same time it does not lose its disadvantages. Fructose and sorbitol (natural sugar substitute, low in calories and glycemic index) will cope with the conservation process just as well. Sugar is used in the preparation of various ready-to-eat foods, baked goods and culinary products. Here again, there are healthier substitutes - natural as well as safe sweeteners.
What is the harm of sugar?
White refined sugar is more harmful than brown sugar, cane sugar. Both have a number of significant disadvantages, but unrefined sugar contains molasses, which contains a number of vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, the price of such sugar is quite high, besides, there are a huge number of fakes on the Russian market - dyes are added to ordinary white sand.
Let's take a look at the main cons of sugar:
- weakening of immunity;
- negative effects on the cardiovascular system;
- promoting skin aging;
- can lead to obesity (because it is very high in calories);
- increases the risk of developing diabetes (because it has a high glycemic index);
- a decrease in the reserves of B vitamins;
- harmful to teeth and gums, as it creates an environment for the multiplication of microbes, which in turn destroy tooth enamel.
Modern types of sweeteners
In order to avoid the harm from granulated sugar, but at the same time eat "sweet", you can turn to modern and safe sugar substitutes. Stevia, sucralose, erythritol, agave syrup, tominambur syrup, maltitol, isomalt, etc. For daily nutrition, you should pay attention to stevia. It is a natural sugar substitute with zero glycemic index and zero calories. In stores, stevia is available in 3 forms: tablets, powder and liquid. The latter is especially convenient because it dissolves quickly even in cold water. Most often, stevia has a peculiar flavor, so it is worth looking for producers who have achieved the usual sweet taste without bitterness. If stevia is still felt, it is better to pay attention to sucralose. Today it is one of the most modern and safest sugar substitutes. Sucralose is made from sugar and tastes similar to it, while it does not participate in carbohydrate metabolism and is completely eliminated from the body within 24 hours.
To create confectionery, you should pay attention to maltitol and isomalt. Both sweeteners have a low GI, resistance to high temperatures, protect teeth from caries, and their calorie content is half that of sugar. Isomalt is mainly used to create caramel, maltitol to add volume to baked goods, as well as to create chocolate.
In addition to the aforementioned sweeteners, coconut sugar is now gaining popularity. It is an organic product that does not undergo technological processing. It contains only 70-80% sucrose and has a lower glycemic index.
Alternatives to finished products
Do not forget to keep track of the products you buy, or rather, their composition. Try to choose products that do not contain sugar. Look for alternative replacements: replace chocolate bars with fruit and nuts, instant cereals with sugar - for muesli, granola or cereals with modern sweeteners, mass market potato chips - for vegetable chips, sweet carbonated drinks - for plain or mineral water, coffee 3 in 1 - for chicory, etc.
