Sugar
Sugar – sucrose – is a carbohydrate that is present naturally in fruits and vegetables. All plants use a natural process called photosynthesis to turn sunlight into the nourishment they need for growth.
Of all known plants, sugar is most highly concentrated in sugar beets and sugar cane. Sugar is simply separated from the beet or cane plant, and the result is 99.95% pure sucrose (sugar). The sucrose from sugar beets and sugar cane is not only identical to one another, but each is the same as the sucrose present in fruits and vegetables.
A well-known polling organization recently conducted a survey of attitudes about sugar in cities across America. One of the biggest surprises was the wide range of guesses people made about how many calories are in a teaspoon of sugar. Most respondents thought it was 50 or 60 calories; one respondent said 1000!
Sugar Types
White granulated sugar
White granulated sugar is one of the world’s purest foods. It’s 99.9 per cent sucrose, refined from the natural sugars that occur in the sugar cane but with all ‘impurities’ such as mineral ash and polyphenols completely removed.
Caster sugar
Caster sugar has the same composition as granulated sugar, but the crystals are smaller so it dissolves qu1ickly. It’s best for baking, especially light sponges and meringues.
Raw Sugar
Raw sugar and coffee sugar crystals are made from cane juice and are golden in colour. In nutrition, they are virtually identical to white sugar – at 99 per cent sucrose, they have a few minerals but not enough to give a great health advantage over white sugar.
Brwon Sugar
Brown sugar contains 95 per cent sucrose and 5 per cent molasses, which adds a lovely toffee flavour and moistness but no great nutritional benefits over white sugar. The same applies to muscovado, demerara, rapadura and black sugars2 which are often preferred for baking. There’s a little potassium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals but they’re not present in great quantities. Well, not enough to make me sit up and take notice when I’m only consuming a teaspoon here and there.
Fructose Sugar
Fructose powder contains the same kilojoules as sugar but, being slightly sweeter, can be used in smaller quantities to achieve the same degree of sweetness.1 Now marketed as a ‘natural cane sugar-free’ sugar replacement, it has a low GI of anywhere from 15 to 19 which used to be its unique selling proposition.
Fructose is metabolized differently to sugar and glucose and doesn’t trigger the hormones that regulate appetite and food intake – which some research suggests means that it’s much more likely to be converted into body fat. Note too that it has other drawbacks, such as causing abdominal discomfort.
Glocose Powder
Glucose powder is a white crystalline powder with a GI at the maximum of 100. It is the standard by which other carbs are ranked. At 100, this means that glucose is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and stimulates a fast insulin response. Glucose powder is not as sweet as regular white sugar so is fed to invalids as they can take in more food without being put off by the excessive sweetness.
Athletes often notice glucose (under the term dextrose so you don’t associate it with glucose or sugar!) marketed to them to use when they need instant energy. Like glucose jelly beans, it will quickly raise blood glucose levels and replenish blood glucose. Glucose is the simplest form of sugars and is the sugar in blood, your body’s primary source of energy.