Sugar: known commonly as a simple carbohydrate, it’s a fuel source to the body and brain.
Your body makes sugar from the complex carbohydrates present in the fruits, vegetables and whole grains that you eat. It’s healthier to fuel your body from these foods as they also contain many other nutritious compounds like fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These help to balance out how much fuel your body gets at one time, regulating hunger and energy.
You can consume pure sugar too, though, making it easy for your body to obtain fuel quickly. Sometimes quick fuel is necessary, like during high endurance exercise, or when blood sugar is low.
But altogether, you probably eat sugar because it tastes good! And that’s normal: your positive experience of particular tastes is a function of survival. Sweet tastes communicate a food is safe to eat.
Survival today is very different from what it was so many years ago, though, when our ancestors foraged for food in the woods. The grocery store is the new woods, where we’re very fortunate to make more choices based on our preferences.
Our fortune poses a new challenge: making a healthy choice.
How do you do that? Two ways:
Reduce how much sweetened food and drinks you consume. Sugar stimulates the pleasure-reward function in your body. That stimulation raises your interest for more.
Choose sweeteners that are better for our body. What makes a sweetener better for your body? It contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; it’s closer to nature in its edible form, versus being refined down to a single nutrient void of other life-supporting compounds (we’re looking at you, white sugar). These four sweeteners fit that description:
1. Honey
2. Maple Syrup
3. Coconut Sugar
4. Date Sugar
What choice do you wish to make?
Disclaimer:
The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. If you'd like to reduce your intake of sugar and receive the tools to help you with implementing healthier habits in your daily life, guidance from a nutrition expert is highly advised. Please review our Nutrition & Wellness Services here:
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Additional Reading
Why Maple Syrup is so Marvelous. Like, it's good! It's FN Good! https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/marvelous-maple-syrup
Never Go Hungry Again with these Easy, Healthy, Yummy Snacks! https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/healthy-snacks
Protein: The Building Block of Life https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/buildingblockoflife
Carbs are the Enemy! https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/carbsaretheenemy
Low Fat or Full Fat? That is the Question. https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/lowfatfullfat
Ten Facts that will Help Eliminate Your Sweet Tooth https://www.fabulous-nutrition.com/post/tenfactstoeliminateyoursweettooth