Every other day there are some post, article, or discussion that revolves around food. And one of the most talked about food item is, <drumroll>, SUGAR. Someone or the other is discussing the ill-effects of consuming sugar and how everyone MUST stop eating sugar. So, my question is - is sugar derived from sugarcane really that big an enemy for our health?
In today's times with so much of gender-equality, with both members of the family working in offices, OR young unmarried people going out to study after school, cooking is becoming a rarity (please don't get me wrong here - with both partners working and the want to live in a nuclear family people don't have time to cook). People mostly rely on restaurants OR on packaged food items OR on quick fix junk food OR on people who'll come and cook for them. Many young students who study in colleges, but live away from their home rely on inexpensive, processed junk food. There's a restaurant (even without naming the restaurant, all will know which restaurant I'm referring to here), whose ads will constantly tell the listeners that an entire meal of burger, fries, and cold drink will cost Rs. 99 only. Each of the burgers sold by this outlet used to have about 2.6 gms of sugar per serving in 1989; however, there has been a shocking increase to 10 gms of sugar per serving!!! (https://news.sky.com/story/shocking-rise-in-sugar-and-salt-in-mcdonalds-burgers-in-last-30-years-11287119)
These "added sugars" in these junk foods, sugary drinks, or cereals are really high and these contribute to various problems such as weight gain, diabetes, etc. and with no additional health benefits. Studies indicate that liquid carbohydrates such as sugar-sweetened beverages are less filling than solid food, causing people to continue to feel hungry after drinking them despite their high calories. These sugary drinks (even energy drinks such as Gatorade will fall under this category - when compared to the 34 grams of sugar in Gatorade and 37 grams of sugar in a cola) are coming under scrutiny for their contributions to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. The average 20-ounce bottle of sugar-sweetened soda, lemonade, or iced tea contains about 65 grams of added sugar, often from high-fructose corn syrup. That’s the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of table sugar! Imagine that!!!!
Fact time: Eating too much high fructose corn syrup can lead to insulin resistance, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Sugarcane-derived sugar, if eaten in small quantities everyday, is perfectly fine. A good rule of thumb is to avoid products that have a lot of added sugar, including skipping foods that list “sugar” as the first or second ingredient. The usual recommendation suggests a stricter added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men. For children ages 2-18 to less than 6 teaspoons or 24 grams per day.
As per National Institute of Nutrition, India -
"With increasing urbanization, energy-rich diets containing higher amount of fat and sugar, which also provide less dietary fibre and complex carbohydrates, are being frequently consumed, particularly by high income groups. In addition, the urban population is turning to be more sedentary with little physical activity. Consumption of alcohol, providing empty calories, and tobacco use is also common among them. Hence, prevalence of disorders like obesity, heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) diabetes and certain types of cancers is on the increase."
So no, sugarcane-derived sugar, if taken in small quantities, is just fine and NOT a villain. Most of the time, we are not consuming 6 teaspoons of sugarcane sugar in a day anyway it'll be mostly less than that. And if once in a while when there's a festival or a special occasion, do give in to your sweet cravings - though a smaller portion and chew it slowly. Few things to try are - have plain curd/yogurt AND drink water instead of carbonated, sugary drinks.
And be sweet to people - that adds to your beauty!
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