Sugar today has became an integral part of our life knowingly or unknowingly, specially in recent times when we rely upon processed food and sweetened drinks to fill our stomach. Over a period of time sugar has replaced honey as a sweetening agent and it is now preferred to pour a spoon of sugar in whichever dish it is needed compared to honey.

Undoubtedly it does add a lot of taste to the food or drink but does it lead to an increase in nutrient content or no?

Sugar is formed by evaporation, filtration, boiling and centrifugation of raw sugarcane juice. However this is not the sugar that we consume. It is brownish in color.

This brown colored sugar is bleached with sulphur dioxide to give it the white color. Other bleaching agents include calcium hydroxide, phosphoric acid or carbon dioxide.

One agent commonly used in whitening the sugar is BONE CHAR, often referred as natural carbon. Bone char is made from the bones of cattle which are collected largely from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This makes it a debatable issue whether the sugar is vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Why is sugar so harmful?

According to studies, 1 teaspoon of white sugar contains 16 calories with only trace amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, zinc and riboflavin.

Sugar is a slow poison which we consume daily. Studies suggest that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine. It contains lots of calories with no additional nutrients and is harmful for teeth, heart, metabolism etc.

Reasons why too much sugar is bad for health:-

It can lead to weight gain and obesity.

It may increase the risk of heart diseases due to increasing levels of blood sugar and blood pressure.

A high diet of sugary foods has also been linked to acne.

Increase in the risk of diabetes.

Increase in the risk of depression.

Sugar may also accelerate the skin aging process.

High sugar level can lead to fatty liver (NAFLD).

Other health risks:

1. It can cause damage to delicate blood vessels in the kidneys

2. Eating too much sugar can cause cavities and tooth demineralization.

3. Added sugar can raise uric levels in the body leading to gout (pain in joints).

Tips to reduce sugar intake:

Use olive oil and vinegar in place of sweet salad dressings like honey mustard.

Swap your morning cereal for a bowl of oats topped with nut butter and fresh berries, or an omelet made with fresh greens.

Avoid alcoholic beverages that are sweetened with soda, juice, honey or sugar.

Consume whole fruits instead of sugar-sweetened fruit smoothies.

Shop the grocery store, focusing on fresh, whole ingredients.

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