By Susie Banks www.essentiallyhealthyfood.com
Sugar was once a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford. Black teeth, caused by eating so much sugar, were even thought to be desirable to flaunt great wealth. The huge profits that could be made from the 'White Gold' led to money driven Europeans moving to the 'New World' to set up sugar plantations. African slaves were exploited as the sugar industry flourished and the European plantation owners made huge profits. Equally the British government benefited from the high taxes on sugar. After the sugar tax was repealed in 1847, sugar became accessible to everybody. Nowadays the demand for sweet foods continues to rise. Consequently sugar, in various different and sometimes unexpected guises, is being consumed in ever increasing quantities. Unfortunately this is having serious repercussions on the nation's health, not only is sugar a major cause of tooth decay but also weight gain and blood sugar issues.
What is Sugar?
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and it is made by combining dextrose (glucose) and fructose which means that it is classified as a dissaccharide (a double sugar). Both dextrose and fructose are found in fruit, vegetables and other plants. Sugar, as we know it, has the chemical name sucrose.
Sugar Production
Sugar is commercially extracted from 2 plant sources:
Sugar Cane - a tall grass like plant, which can only be grown in tropical climates - the sugar syrup is in the hollow canes.
Sugar Beet - a root crop, similar to a large parsnip, grown in cooler climates.
Beet as a source for sugar has only been used since the 1700s but sugar cane was discovered on the islands of the Pacific Ocean over 5000 years ago. The UK's sugar beet industry really started during World War I as trading ships, containing cane sugar, were sunk by German U boats. To compensate for this loss the British government persuaded farmers to grow sugar beet.
Cane sugar is available in either refined or unrefined forms, such as Muscovado. After the initial extraction there are two products - raw sugar and molasses. The raw sugar is dark brown in colour so to make pure white sugar it is refined. The colour is partially removed with phosphoric acid then it is neutralised with lime before being run over beds of charcoal to remove the last remnants of colour. The unrefined sugars retain more of the plants nutrients, vitamins and minerals and have more flavour and colour than the refined versions. Originally the syrup would have been used straight from the canes so in this respect these sugars are closer to the natural product.
The sugar made from beet needs to be refined in order to make it edible. Although sugar beet has been grown for centuries, it was used as a root vegetable or for animal feed. It is a sweet vegetable but there is no obvious source of sugar within it, much like parsnips, sweet potatoes and carrots. Unrefined beet sugar doesn't exist because it is unpalatable, hence the foul smell that is emitted from beet factories. Refined light/dark brown sugar and Demerara are actually made by colouring the white sugar with molasses.
Why are We So Fond of Sugar?
It is believed that humans have an innate desire for sweetness as babies get their first sweet taste from the amniotic fluid in the womb followed, after birth, from sweet breast milk. Despite this sweet start to life, not all babies grow into sweet toothed adults. It may be that they are successfully weaned onto sharper tasting food and naturally grow out of the desire for sweetness. On the other hand, babies that are weaned onto sweet baby foods may continue to crave sugary foods.
Manufacturers know that foods with a sweet taste usually produce a more favourable response than bitter foods therefore they increase the sweetness of foods to make them more palatable. As well as the obvious sources of sugar (fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes & biscuits etc.), even foods like crisps, sausages and cheese may contain some form of added sweetener such as dextrose or lactose (the sugar from milk). Cereal bars and pro biotic drinks, touted as healthy options, often contain significant amounts of some form of sugar. Also, the demand for lower fat foods has meant that sugar levels have increased to compensate for the subsequent reduction in flavour.
It's not just processed foods that are becoming sweeter. To keep up with changing tastes, fruit growers are now breeding new varieties of fruit that have a higher sugar content than the traditional varieties - apples, raspberries, strawberries and grapes are all becoming sweeter. As a result of consuming these increasingly sweeter foods our palates are changing and for many people these flavours are becoming the norm. Yet this seemingly innocuous substance is playing havoc with our health.
Can you identify the sugar in commercially prepared foods? You may be surprised at just how many unfamiliar guises it comes under. Before discovering how sugar can affect our health, it is important to identify the different types of sugars. The following lists outline many of the different types, starting with the more familiar and ending with those most commonly found in commercially prepared foods.
Refined Cane/Beet Sugar
Caster
Granulated
Light Brown
Dark Brown
Demerara
Icing Sugar
Golden Syrup
Black Treacle
Unrefined Cane Sugar
Unrefined beet sugar doesn't exist because it is unpalatable.
Golden Granulated
Golden Caster
Golden Icing Sugar
Demerara
Light Muscovado
Dark Muscovado
Molasses
Jaggery - dark Indian sugar made from unrefined cane sugar juice
Natural Sugars
Honey is the only form of sugar that is commercially available in its truly natural state. Maple syrup, agave nectar and palm sugar first need minimal amounts of processing.
Honey - bees gather the sugary nectar of flowers. It is then modified and stored in a honeycomb where it turns into honey by a process of evaporation. The flavour of honey is determined by the flora native to the bees. It contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and pollen.
Maple Syrup - produced by boiling down the sap of maple trees, it is high in trace minerals.
Agave Nectar - comes from the cactus like Mexican agave plant. One variety, the Blue Weber agave is the one that Tequila is made from. The nectar is extracted from the core of the plant and is turned into syrup by an enzymatic process or by adding water. Both light and dark versions are available. The light syrup has a neutral flavour and the darker syrup has a slight caramel flavour. Available from health food shops and major supermarkets. A raw version is available from Detox Your World.
Palm Sugar (Syrup) - sometimes called jaggery, it is widely used in S & SE Asia and comes from the sap of palm trees. It is a dark toffee coloured unrefined sugar with a rich flavour. Palm sugar is sold in solid bars of crumbly sugar or the soft syrupy sugar is sold in tubs. It is often used in Thai recipes. Available from specialist Thai and Asian shops and some major supermarkets.
Date Syrup - a rich flavoured syrup made from fresh dates. Meridian produces date syrup and it is available from some major supermarkets and several online stores.
Sweet Freedom - a new sweetener, made from grapes, apples and carob using a chemical and enzyme free water extraction process. Details of the actual method used is a closely guarded secret! Two versions are available. The light syrup tastes similar to sugar whilst the rich version is darker with a more caramel like flavour. Available from health food stores, major supermarkets and Ocado. For more information and to buy online go to Sweet Freedom.
Naturally Processed Sugars
These are derived by a process of culturing/sprouting rice and barley with enzymes.
Brown Rice Syrup - a pale brown caramelly flavoured syrup. Biona is one manufacturer of brown rice syrup.
Barley Malt Syrup - a thick, sticky, dark brown syrup made from sprouted barley. It has a strong malty flavour and is about half as sweet as sugar. Manufacturers include Meridian & Clear Spring
Sugars Frequently Found in Processed Foods
Sucrose - sugar as we would recognise it
Fructose - found naturally in fruit but commercially made by removing glucose from sucrose
Levulose - another name for fructose
Glucose/Dextrose - the form of sugar used by the human body, commercially it usually refers to a syrup made by the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch (maize, wheat, sago etc)
Maltose - malt sugar, made by an enzymatic process when barley is malted, only a third as sweet as sugar
Lactose - milk sugar
Corn Syrup - made by the hydrolysis of maize starch, often called liquid glucose or glucose syrup
High Fructose Corn Syrup - an inexpensive blend of glucose and fructose used extensively in food manufacturing
Invert Syrup - blends of glucose, fructose and sometimes sucrose which are specially custom blended for bakeries and food manufacturers. Developed for better texture, softer crumb, increased moistness and longer shelf life of baked goods. Also found in drinks, sauces and confectionery
Hydrolysed Starch - another name for glucose when it is commercially made by the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch
Maltodextrin - a form of glucose
Maltodextrose - another form of glucose
Why is Sugar Unhealthy?
Weight Gain
Excessive consumption of all sugars can lead to weight gain. There are additional concerns with refined sugars and fructose.
Refined Sugar - during the refining process all the nutrients, minerals and vitamins are stripped from the sugar plants. This means that the resulting refined sugar provides energy (calories) and absolutely nothing else, nutritionally there is no benefit whatsoever so sugar is essentially empty calories.
Fructose - most people associate fructose with the naturally occurring sugar in fruit and therefore consider it to be a healthier alternative to sugar. Experts now believe that although fructose doesn't cause blood sugar levels to rise in the same way that sucrose does, it is not altogether the healthier option. High intakes of fructose have been linked with an increase in levels of triglycerides (blood fats) and this may contribute to weight gain and may also be a precursor to heart disease. Yet again, the problem is due to the quantities being consumed. If the only fructose eaten was in the form of whole fruits you'd be hard pushed to eat an excess of fructose because it would be physically difficult to munch your way through a large volume of fruit. Also the fibre in the fruit means that satiety would be quickly reached. On the other hand you could easily consume a large quantity of fructose in the form of fruit juices. Combine that with the consumption of some of the many products that now contain 'high fructose corn syrup' and you could easily find yourself eating way too much fructose.
Tooth Decay
All sugar reacts with bacteria in the mouth and this causes plaque. Over time this can result in tooth decay.
Impact on Blood Sugar
When a sugary food is consumed the sugar is rapidly converted to blood sugar giving a burst of energy, at the same time the pancreas releases insulin to reduce blood sugar levels. The burst of energy from the sugar is short lived which means that blood sugar levels then drop suddenly. The human body can accommodate this occasionally but the problem is when sugar is consumed on a regular basis and the normal balance is repeatedly disturbed.
Fruit - most fruits release their sugar relatively slowly into the bloodstream, this means that they are less likely to disrupt the blood sugar balance. However, the sugars in fruit juice are released more quickly as are the concentrated forms of fruit sugars such as those in dried fruits, so they do have the potential to impact blood sugar levels.
Agave Nectar - predominantly consists of naturally occurring fructose and is therefore released slowly into the bloodstream and like fruit is less likely to cause a negative impact on blood sugar levels.
Brown Rice Syrup - composed of 50% soluble complex carbohydrates which are released slowly, 45% maltose which is release relatively quickly and 3% glucose which is released immediately into the blood stream.
Barley Malt Syrup - consists of about 65% maltose, 30% complex carbohydrate and 3% protein so it is released more quickly into the bloodstream than brown rice syrup.
To summarise
All sugars can cause tooth decay
All sugars can contribute to weight gain
Sucrose and most concentrated forms of sugar (including dried fruit, honey, maple syrup & fruit juice) can cause a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels
High intakes of fructose can increase levels of triglycerides
Is There a Healthy Alternative?
This is a contentious area with many different opinions. Really the answer has got to be that sugar in any form is not a health giving food and so should not be freely consumed. However, a lot of the problems with sugar are more to do with the quantities being consumed rather than the sugars themselves. So, the best solution is to reduce your overall consumption and save the really sugary treats for special occasions rather than for everyday.
Preferred Alternatives
Although these alternatives are all preferable to refined sugar (and other highly processed forms) it is not recommended that they are consumed to excess.
Honey
Maple Syrup
Agave Nectar
Sweet Freedom Syrups
Brown Rice Syrup
Unrefined Cane Sugar
Palm Sugar
Fruit - purees, juices, dried, concentrated spreads & date syrup
Other Sugar Substitutes
Stevia is a shrub native to Paraguay. It contains a natural sweetener called Stevisoid and is far sweeter than sugar. The leaf of the shrub is dried and ground to a powder. It does not contain calories or carbohydrates and does not raise blood sugar levels and it is even believed to nourish the pancreas. Stevia is used in many countries, most notably Japan. It can be used in cooking although some brands of Stevia may produce a bitter aftertaste. This all might sound like the ideal substitute for sugar but it has been banned as a food additive in the UK because there is no long term evidence on the safety of the herb, but it can be purchased as a dietary supplement!
Sugar Alcohols - the dangers of artificial chemical based sweeteners are well known and in recent years there has been an increase in the use of sugar alcohols as sweeteners. Sugar alcohols are hydrogenated carbohydrates and are found in many sugar free foods, they include:
Glycerol
Mannitol
Sorbital
Xylitol
Xylitol is promoted as the healthy alternative to sugar. It is a white granular sweetener that looks just like sugar. It is low glycaemic, alkalises the body and even reduces tooth decay. Xylitol tastes like sugar except that it produces a cooling sensation in the mouth after consumption. Xylitol is a natural substance found in some hardwoods (birch and beech), fruits, berries and mushrooms. It can cause side effects such as digestive discomfort and diarrhoea but continued usually results in a greater tolerance.
As the use of sugar alcohols as sweeteners is becoming more common there is the question of the long term effect on the body. Nobody knows whether or not these sweeteners will be the cause of future health problems. They are artificially made by the hydrogenation of carbohydrates and it is not so very long ago that margarines made from hydrogenated oils were classed as being the healthy alternative to butter. Are we simply being seduced by marketing? Would it not be a more sensible approach to retrain our palates so we don't crave sweeter and sweeter foods?
*** TOXICITY IN DOGS ***
Even very small quantities of Xylitol can cause a rapid release of insulin in dogs which causes hypoglycaemia and this may result in the death of the dog. Signs of hypoglycaemia include:
In coordination
Collapse
Seizures
If you suspect that your dog has consumed Xylitol it is import to get immediate help from your vet.
Higher quantities can cause liver failure with hours of ingestion.
www.essentiallyhealthyfood.com
