Sugar is a common food ingredient that has been used for centuries. You can find sugar in many different foods and drinks, and it’s usually not hard to spot. The sugar we use today comes from sugarcane or beet plants, but there are other natural sources such as maple trees. Sugar has health benefits, but it also has risks. It all depends on how you use it! We'll explore these pros and cons with you in this series of blog posts! Stay tuned to learn more about sugar!

What do you think? Are you ready to learn more about what sugar is and where it comes from? Let's start now!

Food sugar is obtained from plants, has a sweet taste, and is in crystals. Every plant produces a sweet substance as part of photosynthesis. But only a few plants store it in sufficient quantities. Sugarcane and sugar beet are two of the few plants from which it can be extracted.

Simply put, it is a carbohydrate. From a chemical point of view, it consists of two so-called monosaccharides or simple sugars. These are fructose or fruit sugar and glucose, i.e., grape sugar. It is a major source of energy for the human body but also has drawbacks.

In general, types of sugar are differentiated according to their source. Probably the most well-known type is cane sugar, which is produced from sugarcane juice. It has a golden-brown color. The other known type is obtained from sugar beet. Typical household sugar is created through processing and refining. In recent years, maple sugar or maple syrup have become increasingly popular in our latitudes. This Canadian specialty comes from the sap of the sugar maple. Coconut blossom sugar, which is produced from the nectar of the coconut palm, is relatively new to the market. It also differs according to the shape and size of the grain. For example, there is cube sugar, powdered sugar, colored sugar, or granulated sugar.

One thing is clear: the body does not need free sugar to survive - i.e., table sugar or sugar added to industrially produced foods and contained in juices. However, we consume too much of it: an average of over 30 kilograms per person per year. Since 1950, this value has increased by about 10 kilograms.

The recommended amount by WHO is 25 grams per day.

That is why institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) only issue recommendations for maximum sugar intake. According to WHO, free sugars should account for less than five percent of the total energy intake per day, about 25 grams (six teaspoons). WHO has set this upper limit too strictly – it would not correspond to the current scientific status. WHO recommends that a maximum of ten percent of the total energy intake should be covered by free sugars.

Limiting sugar naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and milk is not necessary. Instead, the ten WHO dietary guidelines apply here: five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, supplemented by smaller portions of dairy products.

Refined sugar is the queen of white sugars and is of the highest quality. Chemically, it is sucrose, which is obtained from sugar beet and sugarcane.

The well-known crystalline sugar is made from these raw materials by crushing, boiling, cleaning, and crystallizing in the production process. The process is repeated several times depending on the desired degree of purity.

The different qualities and the requirements for them are legally defined. But whether it's white sugar, semi-white sugar, or refined sugar - ultimately it's all about sucrose.

Sugar is one of the carbohydrates. In addition to proteins and fats, they play an essential role in nutrition. This carbohydrate is quickly broken down in the intestines and transported into the bloodstream. If the body needs quick energy, this is ideal. This effect is significant when maximum physical or mental performance is required, meaning that energy arrives in the blood only a few minutes after sugar consumption.

The pancreas then produces significant amounts of insulin to remove it from the blood. At this point, a person feels strong, powerful, and can concentrate again. But hunger quickly sets in again. The reason for this is that apart from pure carbohydrates, no other nutrients are supplied. So-called empty calories are consumed.

If a sweet treat follows, even more insulin is produced. Over time, a difficult-to-break cycle develops. The effect on the human body makes you addicted to sweets because blood sugar levels continue to drop. The body always wants more. The result is chronically elevated insulin levels, which subsequently promotes numerous chronic diseases. If the body does not immediately need the carbohydrates for energy production, they are stored as fat. Obesity occurs.

In principle, isolated sugars are unhealthy. They cause a rapid rise in blood sugar but do not provide other nutrients. This includes glucose or grape sugar. It can be found in confectionery, drinks, and sports foods, and is made from starch. Similar to glucose, fructose is one of the simple sugars. Like glucose, fructose is industrially extracted and added to numerous foods. Both fructose and glucose are found in fruits and vegetables, and in their natural form are healthy for the body. Sucrose, a disaccharide, consists of grape sugar and fructose. This is typically refined white sugar, obtained from sugar beet or sugarcane. When processed, it is referred to as classic household sugar.

Sugar is a pure carbohydrate and, as such, is transported directly from the intestines into the blood. From there, it reaches the brain and is immediately available as an energy supplier. If the body does not use this energy immediately, it saves it for later. The hormone insulin is needed for this. The endocrine part of the pancreas produces this. It acts on blood sugar levels and ensures that carbohydrates are absorbed by cells. In the best case, it is used immediately to generate energy. If the body doesn't need so much energy at the moment, it is converted into fat to be available later.

If blood sugar levels drop, this causes hunger. If sweets are consumed again, fat is stored again as a result. Obesity occurs. But not only the different types of sugar are responsible for this development. Starch made from white flour also turns into sugar in the body and is stored as fat when not used. This means that white bread, pizza, and cake are also questionable and promote obesity.

In contrast, carbohydrates from whole grains are slowly converted in the body. Significantly smaller amounts of the hormone insulin are released. You are full and nutrients are better absorbed.

Fructose in its natural form, as found in fruits and vegetables, is not harmful. However, isolated, industrially produced fructose has significant disadvantages for the human body. It is significantly sweeter than glucose and is therefore used in many ready-made products and drinks. Unlike glucose, fructose is slowly broken down in the body. No insulin is needed either.

If large amounts of fructose enter the body, the small intestine cannot process it properly and transport it into the blood. The rest enters the large intestine and feeds the bacteria that have settled there. Gases and acids are produced. This creates abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea. The intestinal flora changes and creates a toxic environment. Bacteria that are important for the intestine are destroyed. Fungi and parasites, however, find an optimal habitat. The result is chronic inflammation and fungal infections.

In the liver, energy is obtained from fructose. Fats are stored in the liver cells and removed again and again as needed. If you consume too much fructose, this process is disrupted. Fatty liver develops. People who consume too much fructose usually develop insulin resistance. This lays the foundation for so-called type 2 diabetes.

Natural fructose is found in fruits, vegetables, and honey. When consumed in bulk, fructose is significantly healthier than glucose. No insulin is needed for its breakdown in the human body. Therefore, blood sugar levels remain unaffected after fructose consumption. In addition to fructose, fruits and vegetables also provide essential fiber. These regulate digestion and can thus counteract or mitigate the undesirable effects of fructose in the digestive tract. Moreover, numerous vitamins and minerals can be found in fresh vegetables and fruits. These are essential components of a balanced diet. Furthermore, the amount of fructose in fruits is significantly lower than in soft drinks or confectionery. Therefore, one would have to consume enormous amounts of fruit to get approximately the same amount of sugar. To save on the amount of fructose, you can use berries. They contain significantly less fructose than apples or pears, for example.

Industrially produced fructose has a very high sweetness and is cheap to produce. Therefore, it is ideal as an additive to many foods. Artificial fructose is found in chocolate bars, ice cream, sweets, and fruit gums. But it is also added to pickles, ketchup, or salad dressing.

Fructose can now also be found in products for babies and young children. So-called soft drinks are dangerous. Cola, iced tea, and lemonades contain large amounts of fructose and are very questionable with prolonged use. For a long time, fructose was also an ingredient in many foods for people with diabetes. Due to the current state of knowledge, this has not been the case for some time.

For sugar naturally found in fruits or vegetables, WHO does not recommend an upper limit for daily consumption – unlike for free sugars in industrially produced foods and beverages. Against this background, the answer can be: Yes, fructose is better than "normal" sugar.

However, if we focus on the monosaccharide fructose, the situation is a bit more complex. Some animal experiments have shown that using fructose as the sole sugar source can have negative consequences. This is because the liver breaks it down. If more fructose enters the body than is needed, the excess accumulates in the liver – and turns into fat.

For a long time, it was produced exclusively from sugarcane. It had to be imported from abroad and was consequently expensive. Today it has become a popular food and it is hard to imagine life without it. It usually starts with a morning coffee, which is only delicious with a spoonful of sweet crystalline sugar. Annual consumption is over 30 kilograms per person.

In most cases, however, the consumer doesn't even notice that they are consuming harmful sugar. It can be assumed that almost all processed foods such as sauces, bread, yogurt, or lemonades contain industrially produced and therefore cheaper corn syrup. It has a large proportion of harmful fructose. So even babies and young children are fed sugary juices and sweets. The body quickly gets used to the sweet taste. Sweetness becomes natural. If you want to eat completely without harmful types of sugar, this is only possible with a lot of effort and product knowledge.

We are always looking for alternatives. Today, a wide range of substitutes are available on the market. Those who rely on natural products will choose maple syrup and agave syrup. Rice syrup and honey also fall into this category. However, it should be noted that these sweeteners also contain fructose. Therefore, they are suitable to a limited extent for people with diabetes. This is different for birch sugar. It is obtained from plants and consists of xylitol, a sugar alcohol. It has significantly fewer calories than table sugar and does not affect blood sugar levels. The sweetener stevia, which comes from the stevia plant, also does not affect insulin production. Conversely, classic sweeteners such as cyclamate, aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame are highly controversial in terms of how good they are for health.