Why should I eat less sugar?

There has been a lot of discussion about whether sugar is good or bad. In fact there’s nothing actually wrong with sugar, it’s how much you have that is important.

Sugar is pure calories and it provides virtually no other nutrients, vitamins or minerals. It gives you a quick energy boost and makes things taste sweet. The body processes excess calories and turns them into fat so it’s important not to overdo it. Food experts suggest that we need to reduce the amount of sugar we eat and choose foods that provide us with energy but also with other nutrients and go for foods that are naturally sweet and better for our health.

Nutrients with a low Glycaemic Index rating help you to feel full for longer

Sugar and starch are both carbohydrates and our main source for energy. Foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice consist mostly of starch. Fruit, vegetables, honey, jam, biscuits, candy and soft drinks are rich in sugar. Your body breaks sugars down to glucose very quickly, which causes a massive rise in your blood glucose level. This gives you an energy shot, but after a short time you need new energy. Most people take another cookie or something to get energy again. This way you keep eating because you feel hungry very quickly.

There is a simple solution for this problem: You should eat foods with a low or medium Glycaemic Index value. These foods are rich in starch and break down to glucose at a very low rate. You feel satisfied for longer time and have energy for longer.

The fact that a nutrient tastes sweet doesn’t say anything about the Glycaemic Index rating. For example take a look at the picture below:

Types of sugar

There are many kinds of sugar, but they all have the same main functions: giving a sweet taste to food and giving you energy. Common sugars are white sugar, brown sugar, fructose (which is found naturally in fruit), glucose, Demerara and the processed sugars such as glucose syrup and fructose syrup.

For a Dutch translation of this article see: Minder suiker eten.

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