TRICK OR TREAT? Helpful hints on sugar from Dr. Love's Integrative Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine

Halloween is here and Dr. Love’s Integrative Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine would like to offer you some helpful hints on sugar.

Consider limiting the type of sugar. You are what you eat and a healthy choice can safeguard us from the unruly reactions that come with consuming sugar. We all know that sugar is not good for us. But, let’s look a little closer at what’s on the market.

The Bad (The Real Trick)….

Muscovado - refined brown sugar; raises blood sugar quickly.

Agave (nectar) - a desert plant heated into a syrup texture used to sweeten things like drink mixes (tequila); highly processed. 

Cane Sugar - Also called turbinado sugar; may come in the form of cane juice, which used to sweeten non-dairy milks like almond, hemp, and cashew. Basically, it’s glorified white sugar.

And the ugly (The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)…

White sugar- Made from either sugar cane or sugar beets.

Brown sugar - molasses and sugar. 

High fructose corn syrup - artificial sugar from corn syrup. 

The Good (The Real Treat)…

Coconut sugar- sap of coconut trees, brown and contains minerals; less processed.

Stevia - from the leaves of the stevia plant; sugar-free and non-caloric.

Monk fruit - a green gourd plant that favors a melon; its sugar content comes from either drying it or fruit extraction; raises sugar in blood slowly.

The “bad and the ugly” causes obesity, fatty liver disease and diabetes, among other potentially unhealthy medical conditions.

So the next time you think about putting sugar in your mouth, remember that less processed is best. Don’t treat yourself into being tricked by eating glorified sugar. Treat yourself to the healthier option.

References: 

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/monk-fruit-vs-stevia

https://www.sugar.org/sugar/types/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-bad