REAL SUGAR vs ARTIFICIAL SUGAR

Real or Artifical Sugar- Does it matter?

OMG it’s the worst thing, seriously you want to loose weight and you are eating sugar, switch to artificial sugar/ sugar substitutes, sugar is white poison……. these are some of the sentences I have heard over the period of years about sugar. Some of my clients swear by artificial sweeteners. However, I have also heard, they are not eating any sugar and they still don’t loose weight.

Honestly speaking, the misconceptions surrounding sugar are incredible and mostly bogus. Sugar is not poison, it’s just the amount in which we consume it that makes it poison.

Artificial sweeteners are not the God sent answer to sugar. Yes definitely artificial sweeteners are zero/low calories but that does not make them a healthy alternative to sugar.

Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are compounds that offer the sweetness of sugar without the same calories. They are anywhere from 30 to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar and as a result, they have much fewer calories than foods made with table sugar (sucrose). Each gram of refined table sugar contains 4 calories. Many sugar substitutes have zero calories per gram.There are five FDA-approved artificial sweeteners, sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), neotame, and saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low).

I have said this over and over again, balanced consumption of any food is healthy.  Over-consumption of sugar nor sugar-substitutes is good.

 

Sugar:

• 1 teaspoon has 16 kcal
• 1 teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams
• 12 teaspoons in 12oz soda can
• 6-8 teaspoons  (30-35g) of added sugar per day for a healthy individual is acceptable
• An average person consumes 50-55 teaspoons of sugar per day
• Most of these come from soda, juices, cool aid, fruit punches, cookies, desserts, canned fruit etc.

 

Artificial Sweeteners:

• Low/no calorie substitute of sugar
• Controlled and limited intake is good for diabetics and people trying to lose weight
• Over-consumption has been linked to increase in sweet tooth, gas, bloating, headache, acid reflux and nausea
• 12oz of diet drinks has about 12 packets of artificial sweetener

Most people use artificial sweeteners to prevent weight gain and slash calories. However some studies show they can lead to weight gain. How? It may increase sugar cravings. Some dieters drink a diet beverage to justify the chocolate cake. Studies have shown that sweetness in the absence of calories may stimulate overeating.

Artificial sweeteners nor sugar cause weight gain. It is the over-consumption of these products that make you gain weight – the key is to control your intake of sweets and sweet beverages.

Bottom Line:

• It is a very controversial topic.
• If you choose to enjoy artificially sweetened or added sugar products, a limited intake is essential.
• Consuming artificial sweeteners and sugar in moderation should be safe.
• Neither sugar nor artificial sweeteners are the worst thing that happened since 'the great depression'. But they are also not the best.
• Honestly in my opinion consuming 5-6 teaspoons of regular sugar per day is definitely a better option than artificial sweeteners. 
• So enjoy that morning cup of tea or coffee with a teaspoon of sugar. Then avoid adding sugar to the rest of your meals because the rest of your intake will come from the food options you consume like tortilla, chapati, bread, rice and other refined flour options.
• Finally read nutrition labels before making food choices. It will definitely help monitor your sugar intake.