When it comes to sugar, there are two things we can say about it for sure.
The first, is that sugar tasted good. Duh.
And the second, is that the world of sugar and nutrition is really confusing.
Together, let’s dive into some of the biggest sugar myths — and what you should know about fitting it into your diet.
- Sugar is bad, no matter what kind. (MYTH)
This isn’t anything new, we’ve all heard to cut out sugar from our diets. But the truth is, this messaging doesn’t really help us understand that instead of cutting out all sugar, we should be eating less added sugar. That’s all the ‘added sugar’ found in processed and packaged foods— like the tapioca syrup in granola bars or brown rice syrup in your cookies.
Added sugar is quite different than the sugar that we find naturally in some foods, like fruit. That’s because most natural sugars come combined with a slew of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that help offset those sugar spikes.
Enjoy all the natural sugars that come from whole foods like fruit, natural yogurt and dairy. But do keep an eye out for added sugar — in the form of desserts, sugary drinks, or packaged foods.
- ‘You should cut out sugar from your life completely.’ (MYTH)
We’re not fans of this advice and for many reasons. I mean, how practical is it to cut out ALL forms of sugar? Doesn’t that mean not eating fruit for the rest of your life? Here’s where we stand: you don’t need to cut added sugar out of your life completely, there’s room for some sugar in a healthy diet.
As much as you can, aim for whole foods that have sugar in them. You know, the fruits and dairy’s that also have tons of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. And enjoy in moderation added sugars in the form of delicious desserts, cookies, cakes and ice cream.
Because the truth is, your body doesn’t need added sugar. So having less is better, but in no way does that mean that you can’t have any at all. It’s all about — you guessed it — balance.
- ‘Low calorie sweeteners is the way to go.’ (MYTH)
With tons of marketing, it is tempting to trade sweet treats for ones made with low or no calorie sweeteners. But some research shows us that by making that swap, it isn’t actually likely to be healthier.
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose have been linked to weight gain, not weight loss. What’s more, they have also been tied to a higher risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart attacks, and stroke.
And while there is plenty of research to back up these claims, it’s unknown exactly how they are harmful to our health. Here at Sugarless, we follow the rule of whole foods sugar first, real sugar second and nothing else in between. In other words, eat the cake and nothing but the whole cake!
