The next few days I will be providing information on sugar, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners so you can make a wise decision on how to incorporate it in your diet.
By definition, sugar is a carbohydrate that is found naturally in fruits and vegetables, and is created during photosynthesis. There are several types of sugars; the most common are sucrose, glucose and fructose. Glucose and fructose are made of single molecules; sucrose is made of two molecules and is created from the combination of glucose and fructose.
The most common sources for sugar are sugar beets and sugar cane. Though it gets a bad rap, in its natural form, sugar only has 15 calories per teaspoon and when consumed in moderation can be part of a healthy diet.
When we eat sugar, our blood sugars rise and trigger a spike in insulin, which preps our cells to absorb the sugar. If there are no other nutrients to sustain this blood sugar level, we crash - this is the cycle of sugar addiction. However, when sugar is consumed as part of a balanced diet, a calorie–control mechanism in our brains activates and regulates the desire for more food, releasing the satiety hormone leptin. In moderation, sugar can be part of a healthy diet but when we consume too much, it triggers a cycle in which we continue to eat without experiencing satiety.
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