Contents
What is the healthiest type of sugar?
Nutrition
White sugar, brown sugar, panela, coconut sugar, agave syrup, stevia … We checked if there were nutritional differences between the different commercial options for sweetening
That tablespoon of sugar that you add to coffee is not what you should worry about the most when you calculate the amount of sweet you drink daily. According to data from the Spanish Food Safety Agency, in Spain an average of 111,2 grams of sugar is consumed per day. This amount is quadruple the amount that appears in the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends do not exceed 10% of the total caloric intake from free sugars (or even 5% if greater health benefits are desired). Perhaps this percentage does not clarify anything. In fact, as Elena Aguilar, dietitian-nutritionist at the Professional College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Madrid (Codinma) explains, to calculate the maximum daily recommended for each person, the amount of energy recommended according to age, physical activity should be taken into account and the sex of the person. But getting an idea can follow the general rule that, according to the WHO guidelines, recommends a maximum of 25 grams per day (5 dessert teaspoons) for a consumption of about 2.500 kcal / day.
Can you distinguish between the types of sugar?
If you have carefully read the WHO recommendation in the previous paragraph, you will have seen that it makes a specific reference to “free” sugars. That is why the experts affirm that it is not so relevant to attend to the differences between white sugar, brown sugar, panela, coconut sugar, syrups, syrups or even among other supposedly healthier modalities, which actually differ by its origin and form of extraction. What really matters nutritionally is differentiating thefree sugars of the intrinsic sugars.
Each filtering bag free sugars, as explained by Doctor in Nutrition Elena Aguilar, they are added to a product for some purpose, be it organoleptic (flavor, aroma …) or technological (to facilitate processing, reduce acidity, count the product or help in its conservation) . Also included here are those naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
Each filtering bag intrinsic sugars they come naturally from food. This is the case of lactose in milk or fructose in fruits and vegetables. “Although this type of food contains sugar in its composition, this does not mean that it should be dispensed with, but quite the opposite. The matrix in which it is contained and the nutritional contribution they have together make them nutritionally interesting foods, “he clarifies. Of course, as we remember when referring to free sugars, the WHO indicates that the fructose in honey is included in the limitation of sugar consumption.
And the same happens with juices, as Elena Aguilar explains that it is preferable to consume fruits in their natural state to take them as juice, even if it is a natural and freshly squeezed one. “The elimination of dietary fiber causes changes in the matrix in which the intrinsic sugar (fructose) is contained and this makes it a less suitable option,” he explains.
Sugar even in the soup
But let’s get back to that teaspoon of coffee sugar. If we said at the beginning of this article that this should be the least of the worries, it is because, as warned by the CODINuCoVa, that teaspoon is nothing when compared to the sugars that we find in the ultra-processed foods and that tend to go unnoticed by consumers, as Paula Crespo, president of CODINuCoVa clarifies, who affirms that at present it is not mandatory for the food industry to warn about the high percentage of sugars that its products include.
For her part, the Codinma expert advises on this point that we prioritize the daily diet little or no processed foods, such as fruits, vegetables and seasonal and local vegetables, protein foods (legumes, meats, fish, seafood, eggs), milk and non-sweet dairy products (cheese, yogurt, kefir …), whole grains such as pasta, grain cereals ( brown rice, quinoa, semolina…), quality breads and heart-healthy fats (EVOO, nuts, avocados…). «The consumption of ultra-processed foods must be relegated to specific moments, whether or not they include added sugar in their formulation, since they are usually products with a poor nutritional composition: high in sugars, with saturated fats such as palm, unsustainable and low in dietary fiber, “he adds.
Salty or bitter it seems, but sweet it is
Some bitter soft drinks such as tonics or “bitter” type drinks could lead one to believe, due to their characteristic taste, that they do not contain sugar in their composition. However, when the list of ingredients and the amount of free sugars it contains are analyzed, it can be seen that some present amounts similar to those of other sweet soft drinks, according to the expert from Codinma.
Sliced, multigrain, or artisan bread may appear healthier than white. However, the expert explains that it is striking that many of them include sugar in their list of ingredients in a prominent place, that is, in third or fourth place.
Other salty products that frequently include added sugars are toast, wheat tortilla for fajitas, hamburger or doggy bun, cold cuts (chorizo, fuet, cooked ham, turkey …), sauces (ketchup, fried tomato, mustard …) and ready-made dishes of all kinds (hake sticks, breaded fish or chicken, lasagna, battered squid, San Jacobos, refrigerated or frozen pizzas, pasties, croquettes …).
They don’t call it sugar, but it sure is sugar
There are many terms that indicate the presence of added sugar in a processed product. Some of them are agave, syrup, caramel, dextrose, fructose, maple syrup or syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose syrup, glucose, maltodextrin, maltose, molasses, honey, brown sugar, sucrose, sucrose … To spin more Fine you can read a list of all the terms and names with which they can refer to sugar that nutritionist Elisa Escorihuela shared with her post about “hidden sugar” in the blog “Nutrition Classroom”.
And what about “sugar-free” products?
The products “sugarfree”, which tend to target diabetics or people who want to lose weight, do not have to be nutritionally better than normal. In fact, as Elena Aguilar explains, it is common for the nutritional composition of these “sugar-free” products to be worse, since to improve the palatability and final characteristics of the product, they may include ingredients that help counteract the lack of sugar and that ” they are not necessarily healthier. ‘ Thus, it is common to add fat, for example.
In addition, although until recently it was believed that non-caloric sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, cyclamate, sucralose, polyalcohols …) had no repercussions on the body, research has proven, according to Aguilar, that some could cause metabolic effects in the gastrointestinal tract similar to those of added sugars.
How do I know if it has too much or little sugar?
As a reference data for choosing foods low in added sugar We quote the researcher Juan José Samper, author of the “Definitive Guide to Interpret Food Labels”, who assures that in order to declare that a food has a low sugar content, the product would have to contain a total of less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product (if it is a solid food) and less than 2,5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of product (if it is a liquid food).
Is there a healthier type of sugar than another?
If you have come this far and you keep wondering what is the best type of sugar to add to your coffee, it is likely that the answer has not yet been clear to you. We insist and ask Dr. Elena Aguilar again. What is the healthiest sugar? The answer: “All added sugars have the same effect on health. There is no one sugar that is more beneficial than another. Some people believe that brown sugar is healthier than white or that honey or brown sugar has benefits over common sugar, but the truth is that the physiological response to its consumption is the same, “he explains. Of course, the expert insists on something that also has to be clear: this applies when we talk about added sugars and not intrinsic ones.