Sugar and Sweeteners:
When we think about sugar it’s usually white granulated sugar that springs to mind, but sugar is actually a generic name used for any sweet tasting soluble carbohydrates used in food. There are many types of sugar and sweeteners and it is easy to become confused by the various types available. A healthy diet is going to be low in sugars of all types but there are some that are a little healthier to use for baking and for sweetening foods – my favourites are date & coconut sugar, rapadura, xylitol and maple syrup. There are also some that you should definitely be avoiding completely. To help I’ve put together the following basic sugar overview.
Monosaccharides and Disaccharides
Simple sugars such as grape sugar (dextrose), milk sugar (galactose) and fruit sugar (fructose) are all monosaccharides.
Granulated sugar refers to sucrose which is a disaccharide. This is a compound sugar composed of two simple sugars glucose and fructose.
The primary difference between them is the way your body metabolises them.
Glucose and Fructose
Glucose is a simple sugar and form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body uses glucose for energy. However eating more glucose that the body can use will lead to inflammation, weight gain and metabolic disorders. Glucose is found in grains, legumes and vegetables.
Fructose is also a simple sugar. High amounts of fructose are very damaging to the body if it isn’t burned immediately for energy because it travels directly to the liver where it’s converted to triglycerides (fats). Excess triglycerides increase insulin resistance (and insulin production), and can contribute to diabetes. Fructose is found naturally in fruits but unless you eat excessive amounts of fruit the fructose consumed is not high enough to be problematic.
Sucrose (refined sugars)
White sugar (pure sucrose) is washed with a syrup solution, then with hot water, clarified (usually chemically) to remove impurities, decolourised, concentrated, evaporated, re-boiled until crystals form, centrifuged again to separate, then dried. By this point, any remnants of “natural goodness” and “nutritional value” have completely disappeared. White sugar is more like an industrial product than a food. As with fructose excess sugar can increase harmful substances called advanced glycation end products which can damage the body and speed up the ageing process.
Brown sugar is white sugar mixed with molasses. Molasses is a dark, sweet, syrupy by-product from the extraction of sugars from sugarcane and sugar beets which contains iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. However the amount of these nutrients depends on the variety of the molasses and the extraction process used and in brown sugar there is only a small amount of molasses present in any case.
“Raw” sugar is the residue left after sugarcane has been processed. It’s not really raw as it has been cooked and most of the minerals and vitamins are gone. But it’s probably a little better than refined white sugar because it has a little of the molasses remaining. The taste is very similar to brown sugar.
Rapadura is the pure juice extracted from the sugar cane (using a press), which is then evaporated over low heat, whilst being stirred with paddles, then sieve ground to produce a grainy sugar. It has not been cooked at high heats or spun to change it into crystals, and the molasses is maintained in the sugar.
Other Sweeteners
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which has been used for rat and ant poisons before being introduced to foods and drinks. Studies link it to headaches and even cancers and it has been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome. For good health it should definitely be avoided.
Splenda or Sucralose is NOT a sugar. Although sucralose sounds like a sugar it’s actually not natural, it’s an artificial sweetener in line with aspartame and has also been found to have a negative effect on the gut microbiome.
Honey is approximately 50% fructose, but in natural (raw and unpasteurized) form contains many health benefits. Cheap processed honeys are often devoid of any goodness and should be avoided. You can read more about honey here: Necta & Hive (and use code LINNUT30 for 30% discount on your first order).
Stevia is an extremely sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant, which is completely safe (in its natural form). Green stevia is the whole plant, while white stevia is processed and can often contain other ingredients like natural flavours, erithrytol or dextrose. 100% organic green stevia in its natural state or distilled into a liquid is what you want. However this is not great for using in baking recipes as just a drop or two is needed therefore it will not act as a direct replacement for sugar.
Agave nectar is made from the agave plant, which is a cactus. Although this may sound natural agave is highly processed. Furthermore, agave is approximately 80% fructose (much higher than honey and maple syrup).
Maple syrup is made from the circulating fluid, or sap, of sugar maple trees and contains minerals and antioxidants. Primarily it contains sucrose so should be used in moderation but is useful for cooking and baking. Be sure to purchase pure maple syrup and not artificial alternatives.
Brown rice syrup is made up of maltose and glucose. It’s healthier to use than golden syrup in recipes but as with all sweeteners it’s best to limit consumption.
HFCS (Glucose fructose syrup or high fructose corn syrup) is 55% fructose and 45% glucose. As with sugar it has been shown to drive inflammation and increase risk of obesity, heart disease, metabolic disorders and cancer. In addition these syrups are often genetically modified. Best always avoided.
Coconut sugar is made from the sweet watery sap that drips from the cut flower buds of the coconut palm. It has a low glycemic index (GI) and is rich in amino acids. It is typically less than 10% fructose, with sucrose being the primary component. It’s a good substitute for sugar in baking recipes but still should not be consumed in excessive amounts.
Date sugar is lower in calories than regular sugar and contains fibre and potassium. The fibre content helps it to have less of an effect on blood sugar. It’s good to use in baking but as with coconut sugar use in moderation.
Xylitol is a sweetener known as a “sugar alcohol” (or polyol). Sugar alcohols are neither sugars nor alcohols − they are carbohydrates (with structures that happen to resemble sugar and alcohol). Xylitol is extracted from corn or birch cellulose. Unlike sugar, Xylitol is slowly absorbed, does not cause a rapid blood sugar increase, and does not require an immediate insulin response from the body to be metabolized. Moreover, many studies have shown that it actually helps prevent dental cavities and some evidence suggests that it helps prevent gum disease because Xylitol is anti-bacterial. Xylitol is good to use in cooking – it works better in puddings and ice creams than in biscuits but can work well in cakes. Large amounts of Xylitol can cause gastrointestinal upset so consumption should be limited. You can buy xylitol from Natural Dispensary (use code: ‘linda’ for discount).
Erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol, just like xylitol. Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates that chemically have characteristics of both sugars and alcohols although they don’t contain ethanol so are not really alcoholic. There are nearly zero carbs and zero calories per gram of erythritol hence its popularity in keto recipes. However erythritol may be genetically modified and as with Xylitlo can caue digestive upset.