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<\/p>\nSugar is not toxic. And, it’s not the primary cause of obesity.<\/p>\n
Those are the first two things you need to know when considering if sugar is bad. After all, your body is perfectly designed to metabolize sugar. When you eat carbohydrates (any carbohydrates, vegetables included) your body eventually breaks them down into glucose (AKA sugar).<\/p>\n
So, the idea that sugar is bad when your body is designed to use it and convert it into energy just doesn’t make sense.<\/p>\n
Now, that’s not to say that too much sugar can’t be a problem. It can, but understanding your limits can make your diet a lot less stressful and a lot more delicious. Let’s dig in.<\/p>\n
If you’re going to stand up for sugar for anything (because, again, it has some downsides, which we’ll discuss), it’s the belief that sugar is the cause of diseases like obesity and diabetes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yes, sugar can play an indirect role in both. But, data and research don’t align to suggest that both diseases are driven by sugar.<\/p>\n
Over the last 40 years, our sugar consumption has shifted from 20.8 teaspoons of sugar per day in the 1970s to about 23 teaspoons of sugar per day.<\/a> Both numbers are too high, but the ~2.2 teaspoons increase is only about 32 added extra calories. Again, too much sugar, but the increase in sugar is not what’s driving obesity.<\/p>\n After all, according to USDA data, calorie consumption has increased by anywhere from 600 to 700 calories over the same time period. For reference, the consumption of fats and oils jumped from 52 pounds per year (per person) in the 1970s to 82 pounds per year more recently.<\/p>\n The problem with obesity is too many calories. And that is a complicated problem that includes many factors such as food availability, hyper-palatable foods (think fat, salty, and sweet combined), psychological factors, social factors, and genetics.<\/p>\n Can sugar potentially make you desire to eat more? Yes. But, as you’ll find out, the poison is in the dose and the source. It’s not one or the other.<\/p>\n The same goes for diabetes. Many people believe that sugar causes diabetes. In reality, it’s excess body fat that triggers the disease. If you have too much body fat, then it creates insulin resistance, which means your body’s natural glucose control breaks and you start storing and processing sugar differently. That’s what leads to prediabetes and, ultimately, diabetes.<\/p>\n The short answer: because it makes for a compelling narrative in a book or documentary.<\/p>\n Listen, sugar has its downsides, and limiting sugar is a good thing. But, the idea that you need to avoid all sugar isn’t supported by science.<\/p>\n If sugar is bad and \u201ctoxic,\u201d then what should you think about fruit?<\/em><\/p>\n Before you buy into the easy-to-sell idea that sugar is the root of all evil, you might want to consider that over the last 50 years, different ingredients or macronutrients tend to be blamed for all health issues.<\/p>\n Despite science that suggests one food is not the reason for all health shortcomings, many are convinced that carbs<\/a> and sugar are inherently bad.<\/p>\n Sugar’s real “toxicity” level is something like 6 pounds per day (test in rats). That’s not happening to even the biggest sweet tooth.<\/p>\n When people talk about toxicity, they usually are referring to the addictive nature of sugar. The anti-sugar crowd likes to compare it with addictive drugs.<\/p>\n But, if you were to eat a spoonful of sugar (cue Mary Poppins), how much would you want to shovel down a second, third, or fourth spoonful?<\/p>\n The answer is most people wouldn’t because sugar alone does not drive palatability. There are many factors, which include:<\/p>\n Even research suggests that sugar-alone isn’t driving food obsession. A comprehensive review<\/a> found that sugar was not<\/strong> addictive, but that high-fat savory and high-fat sweet foods are much more likely to be overeaten than mostly sugary sweet foods.<\/p>\n Sugar is far more than just the white stuff you spoon into your coffee. (That\u2019s sucrose<\/a>.)<\/p>\n In biochemistry, sugar is either a monosaccharide or a disaccharide (\u201csaccharides\u201d being another name for \u201ccarbohydrates\u201d).<\/p>\n In short, all carbohydrates are composed of single sugars. If we go back to the example of sucrose, or table sugar, that\u2019s actually a disaccharide of the simple sugars glucose and fructose<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, starch, dietary fiber, and cellulose are polysaccharides. That\u2019s an important distinction for those of you keeping score at home: fiber — something most people know as good — is also a form of sugar.<\/p>\n Of those three, we can only digest starch, which is composed of glucose. Starch is also what you\u2019ve probably heard call \u201ccomplex carbs\u201d or \u201cslow carbs\u201d \u2014 slow because the body needs time to break them down into single sugars (notably glucose, the \u201cblood sugar\u201d).<\/p>\n So the idea of a true non-sugar diet means kicking out a lot of foods that are perfectly healthy. Sure, you can live without ingesting sugars, or even carbs \u2026 but only because your body can synthesize the glucose its needs<\/a> out of fatty acids and amino acids.<\/p>\n This happens because your body needs sugar. Glucose is needed as fuel for important functions, like your nervous system and your brain. (Yes, your brain doesn\u2019t only function on glucose, but it does need glucose; and glucose also helps<\/a> cells interact<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Maybe more importantly: there are many perfectly healthy foods that contain sugar (see below).<\/p>\n Any no-sugar diet that removes all of the following foods is likely flawed. And that\u2019s the point: any diet that veers towards extremes oftentimes is misguided, and that includes the catch-all \u201cdon\u2019t eat any sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n Like most things in life, the poison is in the dose.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve seen, your body actually needs sugars, to the point that it\u2019ll manufacture some even if you avoid all carbohydrates.<\/p>\n We already discussed that body fatness is the main driver of type-II diabetes<\/a> and obesity<\/a>. But sugar can contribute to overeating. And, too much sugar also results in an increase in advanced glycation end products, and so in skin damage<\/a> and a greater risk of cancer<\/a> and cardiovascular disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why added sugar can be dangerous: not because it\u2019s \u201cas addictive as cocaine.”<\/p>\n The real danger with sugar is not that it\u2019s inherently fattening. A gram of sugar is still just 4 calories. And 4 calories will not make you fat.<\/p>\n However, you can eat a lot of sugar and not feel full. And that’s the typical pattern. You eat some sugar (usually combined with other foods and hidden in beverages)…and then some more…and then some more…and next thing you know a box of cookies are gone, a can of soda, and sugary coffee drink are all gone…and you\u2019re still feeling hungry.<\/p>\n Added sugars are too easy to over-consume. That\u2019s true of every added sugar, no matter how healthy-sounding it may be.<\/p>\n Don’t be fooled into thinking honey or maple syrup or agave is better for you. Sugar is sugar. Even the much-vilified high-fructose corn syrup (55% fructose, 45% glucose, usually) isn\u2019t a lot worse<\/a> than sucrose (50% fructose, 50% glucose).<\/p>\n What are especially treacherous are sugars in liquid form. You can drink and drink and drink mass quantities of them\u2014enough calories to account for a five-course meal\u2014and yet still feel hungry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perhaps it\u2019s unsurprising that soft drinks are linked<\/a> to the current obesity epidemic<\/a>. Sodas and colas are by far the main source of added sugar in the average American\u2019s diet, accounting for 34.4%<\/a> of the added sugar consumed by U.S. adults and children.<\/p>\n In that respect, fruit juices aren\u2019t any healthier. In fact, they can be even worse.<\/p>\n Why? Because the sugar in fruit juice is fructose, which can stress the liver (only the liver can metabolize fructose in any large amounts<\/a>).<\/p>\n There\u2019s one \u201csugary\u201d drink that doesn\u2019t pose the same threat: milk.<\/p>\n While milk contains sugar (lactose, a disaccharide of glucose and galactose), it has far less than fruit juice, since milk also contains protein and fat. Back in the day when fats were the enemy, low-fat milk was considered healthier than whole milk; the same isn\u2019t true today.<\/p>\n Now that fats have been (partially) redeemed, whole milk is back in fashion \u2014 and backed<\/a> by<\/a> lots<\/a> of<\/a> evidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n No, fruit is not bad for you. If we could scream it from the mountain tops and plaster over every Instagram feed, we would tell you:<\/p>\n There is no evidence that eating fruit, even in high amounts, will harm your health.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Unlike fruit juices<\/a>, whole fruits are filling<\/a>. Apples<\/a>, though solid, are 10% sugar … and 85% water; that alone makes them very hard to overeat. In addition, recent studies show that whole fruits may help regulate blood sugar.<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s something we can all celebrate: you don\u2019t need to feel guilty<\/a> each time you eat added sugar. But, you should stay aware of your consumption and do your best not to exceed these limits<\/a>:<\/p>\n What does that mean in real food?<\/p>\n That’s the equivalent of about 1 full-sized Snickers bar or about 7-8 Oreo cookies.<\/p>\n That’s not to say you should add Snickers or Oreos to your daily eating plan. The example simply illustrates the safe, maximum amount you can have each day.<\/p>\n The reason it’s not so simple is that added sugar winds up in a lot of unexpected places, like soup, <\/a>pizza, and granola.<\/a><\/p>\n While the average consumption of sugar in the United States may be decreasing<\/a>, it\u2019s still way too high.<\/p>\n If you want an easier way to keep your sugar consumption in check, use the guide below. It\u2019s based on the model of the old school Food Guide Pyramid<\/a>, which was released in 1992 and replaced in 2005 by MyPyramid\u2014before that was eventually replaced by whatever this thing is<\/a> that the government is using nowadays.<\/p>\n The Sugar Pyramid is a new spin on dietary sanity.<\/p>\n The base of a healthy sugar pyramid is made of vegetables and fruits: Not only are they filling, but they also provide you with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals<\/a> (biologically active compounds found in plants, some of which are beneficial to our health).<\/p>\n Whole milk also fits into the base of the Sugar Pyramid. The little sugar naturally occurring in bread doesn\u2019t count as added sugar, either\u2014but the sugar that\u2019s often added during manufacturing in the U.S. does.<\/p>\n As for fruit juices, honey, and maple syrup, they all count as added sugar, as does high-fructose corn syrup.<\/p>\n If the base of your personal sugar pyramid is wide, then sprinkling a little added sugar at the top won\u2019t make it collapse. It\u2019s only when most of the sugar in your diet comes from soft drinks, sweets, cookies, and breakfast cereals that your pyramid is likely to topple, and your health along with it.<\/p>\n Do Carbs Actually Make You Fat?<\/a><\/p>\n Winning the War on Hunger: Practical Solutions to Overeating<\/a><\/p>\n Healthy Fat: Which Foods Should You Really Be Eating? <\/a><\/p>\nSo Why Do People Think Sugar is Toxic?<\/h2>\n
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Which Sugars Are Better and Healthier?<\/h2>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/born_fitness_sugar_infographic_v2.gif\")
<\/p>\nWhen Does Sugar Become Bad For You?<\/h2>\n
![\"chocolate](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/5-4.png\")
<\/p>\nIs Honey Better Than Cane Sugar?<\/h2>\n
![\"honey\"](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/4-4.png\")
<\/p>\nIs The Sugar In Fruit Bad?<\/h2>\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/3-5.png\")
<\/p>\nHow Much Added Sugar Is Safe?<\/h2>\n
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![\"snickers](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/6-3.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/born_fitness_sugar_pyramid.gif\")
<\/p>\nREAD MORE:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n